Brothers in Arms: written with ArkhaanLord
by Novus Draconis
Summary: Following the decimation of his team during the breach of Vale, a new student is invited to enroll at Beacon. Eager for a second chance, he joins a broken team CFVY, still reeling from the loss of a member of their own. Cultures and attitudes clash as as the newcomer fights for position in CFVY, but his arrival marks a change for not only his new team but the whole of Beacon.
1. Chapter 1

Professor Ozpin stood before the solemn gathering of students, looking over the assembly and gauging the crowd before choosing his words. This wasn't the first time Beacon had lost one of its number and it likely wouldn't be the last. Their training was difficult and, sometimes, teams returned without one of their number, or didn't return at all.

His gaze focused on the three remaining members of Team CFVY. Coco Adel, who had proven herself to be a confident, charismatic leader and a powerful Huntress, stood between Fox Alistair and Velvet Scarlatina. The three drew strength from each other, as teams should in times of crisis, but he knew that she was beginning to doubt her skills in leadership. He knew because she sought him out often for advice. When she did, he saw nothing of the young woman who boldly stared down Grimm and won the hearts and minds of her peers. In her stead, he found a girl barely holding a front while constantly analyzing her own thoughts and actions, trying to find a way to avoid what he saw, if the After-Action Reports were accurate, as inevitable. Undoubtedly, she blamed herself for what she felt was a personal failure.

Fox Alistair had always been a thoughtful young man, observant and critical of his every action. He rarely spoke and only did so when he had something to say. However, according to several sources, he hadn't said a word since returning. According to these same sources, he could often be found at the edge of the cliffs the school sat upon, staring out into the distance and appearing extremely tense.

By far, the most affected was Velvet Scarlatina. Her distress combined with her reserved and shy nature had caused her to withdraw from the world around her. She did little more than what was required of her and did not respond to any sort of stimuli. Coco, ever mindful of her team, had even confessed that the girl hadn't slept through the night since that day, haunted by nightmares that would leave her crying in a cold sweat. He had tasked his staff with keeping a close eye on the girl, hoping to prevent her succumbing to her grief and taking her own life.

"It's a terrible loss when such a young life is taken." He began. "Each of us knows that the cost of our work could be our very lives, yet we seek it all the same. Not for fortune, glory, or gain, but to help our fellow man in his darkest hour. To be a beacon of safety and hope to those lost in the storms and dangers of this world. This is a task none of us take lightly. It is a difficult task that requires each of us to lean on others for support. Each Huntsman and Huntress becomes a member of a much larger family. We share in our triumphs and our tragedies, which is why it is all the more painful when one of our number falls.

"Yatsuhashi Daichi gave his life in the service of his team and of mankind as a whole. The safety of the citizens of Vale and of Remnant was of great priority but, of perhaps greater priority, was the safety of his teammates. He devoted himself to them, going so far as to make the ultimate sacrifice so that they could continue to fight. Let us all remember his actions and seek to emulate them, for it is only together, united, that we can stand against the forces of Grimm and whatever else may come and threaten our homes and families.

"Classes for the day are canceled. Instead, I want each and every one of you to spend the day in quiet reflection and meditation. I want each of you to think about why you wish to become a Huntsman or Huntress and whether or not those reasons are the right ones."

As he dismissed the students and left the assembly, Glynda met him with her tablet in hand. "He's arrived, Ozpin, and is waiting in your office."

Ozpin gave a nod of thanks and turned to the corridor that would lead him back to his office. Glynda kept pace beside him, tapping through the information on her tablet with a finger. "I've been going over his transcripts. Three schools in as many years? That has to be a record."

"He'll be the oldest second-year we've had, that's for certain." Ozpin replied. "Though, as I recall, you raised a more than a bit of trouble yourself during your schooling here. Hopefully, recent events have calmed him some."

"Without a doubt, his team encouraged much of his behavior while in Atlas."

"I wouldn't speak ill of the dead, were I you, Glynda."

She flushed slightly. "O-of course not. I was simply speculating."

"Boys will be boys and it's to be expected, given the team name. WSKE, whoever expected a group like them to stay in line was rather foolish, if you asked me."

"The drinking certainly doesn't help. Speaking of, is there a way we can discourage that? I caught a buzz simply by being near him."

"Did he seem intoxicated?"

"Nothing obvious aside from a slight slur to his speech."

"Then let's leave that be. I have the feeling that will sort itself out in time."

"How he managed to avoid drinking himself to death, I can't begin to speculate."

"The same way he avoided the fate of the rest of team WSKE. His semblance is resilience."

"He'll be a handful then. Let's hope he minds his manners while here."

Ozpin opened the door to his office, immediately spotting the ginger-haired, fair-complexioned man lounging in a chair opposite to his desk. The man had a sliver flask open in his hand, from which he periodically sipped. His weapon, a brass-capped shillelagh, was clutched in the other hand and he tapped it idly against the metal leg of the chair he occupied.

"Good morning, Eagon." Ozpin greeted, taking a seat at his desk.

"'Tis." Came the reply, which was slurred, as expected.

"My condolences to you for the loss of your team."

Eagon raised his flask. "Aye. Far more glorious men than I, were they." He grunted before taking another swig from the container. Glynda opened her mouth to reprimand him but thought better of it.

"Do you know why I've asked you here?"

"Can't say I know the reason, mate. Be pleased if ye'd share it with me."

"I understand you're considering leaving school and abandoning a career as a Huntsman."

"Aye." Was the more cautious and quiet reply.

"May I ask why?"

He shrugged. "I don' think I'm cut from the proper cloth, mate. Better I go home and take up farmin', like me folks."

"What would you say if I disagreed?"

"I'd say you're off your rocker, mate. I dunno where you were when bloody Grimm started pouring out of the ground, but I was in the streets with the rest of me team. Bloody hell, I'd thought there'd be no end to the damn beasts. It's only when Ironwood's boys pulled us out of the fray that I managed to get a good look about. Two of me mates are dead and the third might not wake up. Can't speak for your life experiences, mate, but that's a bloody rough thing to jump back in to. Can't exactly pick up where I left off, can I? Besides, I'm getting too old for school. I've failed more times than I can count. Me Da worked himself nearly to death so that I didn't. 'No son of mine will till the land,' he'd say. 'It's a right fine trade, to be sure, but it'll age ye quicker than death itself and no man will ever give ye the respect ye deserve.' Aye, Da, but ye fergot the bit where your worthless drunk of a son was too stupid to make it."

Ozpin took a sip from his coffee. "Are you finished?"

Eagon sighed. "Aye."

"Good. Now, I want you to think before you respond to what I'm about to tell you. I received reports of the aftermath of team WSKE's work. The dozens of corpses of Grimm were testament to you and your team's skills. Therefore, if you're willing to reconsider your current position, I'd like to enroll you here at Beacon."

Eagon gave him a suspicious look. "Aye. What's the cost?"

"Of course, there are the tuition fees and other expenses, but I'm sure we can work things out with your family. You'll need to perform well both physically and academically. Beacon only accepts the best and there will be no leeway for you. Since the curriculum for Huntsman training is fairly standard for all kingdoms, we'll just need you to take a few tests to make certain you're ready to enroll."

"Sounds simple enough, aye."

"Finally, you'll need a team. Given your age and how advanced you are, our usual selection process won't be applicable. Instead, you'll be added to an already existing team."

"So, ye'll have a team of five, then?"

"No. A most unfortunate series of events left one of our second-year teams, team CFVY, down a member."

"What sort of events?"

"One of their members Yatsuhashi Daichi, was killed while on a mission. I intend to have you take his position and join team CFVY."

"So, ye intend to shoehorn me into an already established group dynamic, albeit a broken one, and take the position of the team member they're currently grieving over. Does that sum it up?"

Ozpin blinked. For a moment, the verbal slur and cantankerous attitude were gone, replaced with a logical analysis of the situation. A small smile stretched his lips. Being right always made him happy. "Indeed, it does."

"Well, it's gonna take one hell of a magic spell to pull that off, Mister Wizard. Still, if it gives me a shot at makin' me Da proud, I gotta take it."

Ozpin's smile widened. "Splendid. Now, as soon as you're ready, I want you to meet with the other members of team CFVY." He passed an electronic scroll across the desk to the young man. "This is yours. On it, you'll find your class schedule and the key to your new dormitory."

"Alright. If there's nothin' else, Mister Wizard, I'll be on me way."

Ozpin sat back with a smile and a nod. "We're happy to have you here with us, Mister Sullivan. Welcome to Beacon Academy."

Both he and Glynda watched the young man gather his things and leave, walking with a bit of a spring in his step. As the door shut, Glynda turned to him. "I'm sure you know what you're doing, Ozpin, but I can't help but feel a bit anxious about this situation."

"That's all perfectly normal, Glynda. Do me a favor and send word to Miss Adel and her teammates. Make sure they're ready to receive our newest student. Try to word the message as delicately as possible, if you please. This will be difficult enough as is."

x-x

Coco stood at the foot of what had been Yatsuhashi's bed, trying to figure out what went wrong. She had spent days going over her memories of the battle. Everything had gone swimmingly until Velvet was knocked from her feet. After that, the only thing she could remember was Velvet clutching Yatsuhashi's corpse and screaming while she emptied her weapon into the Death Stalker that had slain him.

She turned her head to check on Velvet. The poor girl had barely spoken since their return and hadn't left the dormitory. She only ate when Coco forced her to. This had Coco worried. She didn't really know what Velvet was going through. Velvet and Yatsuhashi had been close. The girl spent as much time as possible in the company of her larger teammate, taking comfort in his size and strength. Yatsuhashi had always protected her and Coco like to think the petite faunus occupied a special place in the gentle giant's heart.

Velvet wasn't the only one who was affected by their teammate's untimely demise. Yatsuhashi and Fox had spent a great deal of time together, communicating in a mutual language of silence. They had a deep respect for one another as well as a great trust. Now, Fox spent most of his time alone, wandering the courtyard and school grounds. He would leave well before sunrise and not return until just before bed. They never saw him at any point throughout the day, unless he was needed somewhere specific, which wasn't very often.

Coco, herself, was in a bit of turmoil. Granted, she hadn't been as close to Yatsuhashi as her other two teammates, but she enjoyed his presence all the same. They shared a mutual respect for one another's combat prowess and would often spar in their free time, trying to keep their skills sharp. Yatsuhashi was the only one she knew who could take a beating from her mighty handbag and be able to walk under his own power afterward. He was happy to battle an opponent who was fast and agile enough to dodge his devastating strikes. Neither really had to hold back for fear of hurting the other. But it wasn't just that. Coco was the CFVY team leader. She chose each mission they went on. She made the calls while on those missions, and she did her very best to make sure that each member of CFVY made it home alive.

But her best hadn't been enough. She had put Velvet on the western flank. She knew the girl didn't really have the strength or stamina to hold her own against a great number of Grimm. She had hoped to draw most of them with her heavy firepower while Velvet boxed them in and picked off stragglers. The faunus should have had the easiest job but, like all predators, the Grimm had sensed the weakness. They had all gone straight for Velvet, who fought hard to keep them at bay while everybody else tried to keep them off of her. She commanded Yatsuhashi to pull Velvet out, hoping that the larger warrior could get to the mage. He could bat away Ursi and Beowulves like they were gnats, but a Death Stalker's sudden strike proved to be too much for him. The venomous barb had plunged into his chest before he even had time to raise his weapon.

Velvet had just kept screaming as they tried to pry her away from the young man. It took an injection from a sedative pack to get the girl to calm down enough that Fox could carry her out of the battle. Coco risked her own life to fetch Yatsuhashi's body. She might have failed him in leadership, but she would be thrice-damned if she left his remains to be torn apart by those beasts.

Velvet cried all of the way back to Beacon's infirmary. They had hurried as much as possible but it had been impossible to avoid the stares of students. It was then, for the first time in many years, that Coco became very conscious of the stares she had been given. They were judging her. They knew she had failed her team. They knew she was no longer fit to lead team CFVY. It was only a matter of time before Professor Ozpin called for her expulsion. She would be sent home a complete failure. All of those dreams, shattered. All of that money and time, wasted. Her parents would never forgive her. They would disown her. She would be alone.

Her hands tightened around the posts of Yatsuhashi's bed as her breathing and heart quickened. Ozpin had assured her that these things happened. Mistakes were made and she wasn't omniscient. She couldn't foresee the outcome of every event. She wouldn't be held accountable by anyone. Things like this happened.

She crossed back to her own bed and went into the top drawer of her dresser. Inside was a bottle of fine cognac that she had received on her birthday. It was still mostly full as she wasn't a heavy drinker, but she felt she needed it now. She needed to feel the soft mellowness that alcohol brought her. Better that than to break down in the middle of the room and scare Velvet.

A small glass was taken down and given a quick inspection for cleanliness before she popped the cork loose from the mouth of the bottle and poured a sizable amount. She took the first sip, savoring the rick oaky flavor of the drink, and felt almost instant relief as her body relaxed and her heart slowed.

Her scroll buzzed from her hip. She fetched it to find a message from Professor Goodwitch.

 _A new student has been enrolled at Beacon and is being sent to join team CFVE. Please welcome him and accommodate him in any way possible._

Coco felt a frown tug at her lips. Yatsuhashi wasn't even cold in the ground and the school had already found a replacement, even going so far as to change the team's acronym. It was as if they were trying to erase CFVY's fallen teammate from the team's memory. She glanced over her shoulder at Velvet. The girl would not be pleased.

Still, for the foreseeable future, Coco was the team leader and needed to think about this objectively. This student obviously harbored no ill intent towards Yatsuhashi, or even realized that the man had existed. This was simply a matter of practicality. The new transfer student needed a team and Coco was willing to bet that CFVY was the only one with an open slot. She would welcome him as much as she could. Hopefully, he'd be understanding.

She had no idea where Fox had wandered off to but she fired off a message to his scroll, telling him to return as soon as possible. She then ran a quick brush through her hair, making sure her appearance was neat.

She sat down on her bed and cast her gaze back to Velvet, who hadn't moved in the slightest. "Hey, we've got a new teammate coming in. He should be here any minute. Don't you want to meet him properly?"

There wasn't even a twitch from Velvet's long ears. She remained as she had been since early that morning, quietly staring at the wall.

Coco rubbed her palms together. "I was thinking you, Fox, and I could go out with him later, maybe get some drinks and have some dinner. We'll be working with him from now on so it's probably a good idea to get to know him before we're given an assignment together. What do you think?"

Nothing. The faunus gave no response that she could even hear Coco's words.

Coco sighed in resignation. She didn't know how to pull Velvet out of this depression. The school's psychiatrist had assured her that Velvet was just going through one of the many stages of grief and would recover in time but Coco needed her team's mage now, not later. If, for whatever reason, Ozpin saw fit to send them out, they wouldn't be able to do much down to three members. She doubted Ozpin would be so cruel as to throw them back into the fray so soon. He was well aware of their current situation and had been understanding. He had promised to give them all of the time they needed but she feared that even Ozpin's patience would run out before they were ready to begin again.

Her head snapped up as Fox entered, shooting her a questioning look.

"Sorry to interrupt your stoic staring-into-the-distance, but Ozpin's sent some transfer student to join the team."

Fox rolled his eyes and crossed the room, fetching a bottle of water from the cabinet next to his bed before sitting down. He nodded to Velvet.

"I think she went to the toilet while my back was turned but, otherwise, she hasn't done much."

Fox unscrewed the top from his bottle and took a sip. "'M worried."

"Same here, but there's not much we can do about it. This is something she needs to work through on her own."

"Maybe."

"If she starts to get worse, we'll see if the doctor has something to help her. Until then, I want to see if she can clear through this on her own."

Fox grunted. "Weighty experiment."

"Cut her a little slack. She's a tough girl, far tougher than you give her credit for. What happened caught her off guard. It caught us all off guard, but she'll be fine. Hopefully, this new fellow will be able to help."

"New boy-toy."

"He is not and I would hope you'd hold me in a bit of higher regard than your common school slut. I've stayed faithful to you, haven't I?"

"Yang."

"Oh, low blow, Mister Alistair. I'll have you know that the only reason I touched her ass was to congratulate her on a good fight."

"'Course. Firm backside."

"Damn straight it is, an..." Coco realized that she had just walked into the trap Fox had laid for her. The grin on his face told her everything. "Shaddup."

There was a knock at the door and she rose to answer. "You just wait and see. I have the feeling that this new fellow will be exactly what we need." She opened the door to find a scruffy-looking Vacuoian standing in the doorframe. Judging by his appearance, she was willing to bet that he hadn't showered or shaved in days and, if the stench of alcohol coming from him was any indication, it was a bet she'd win. His amber-colored clothing was disheveled and wrinkled and the bags under his eyes spoke of countless nights of restlessness.

"Can I help you?" She prompted.

"Aye. Lookin' fer team CFVY. Yer wizard Ozpin sent me."

"You're the new transfer student?"

"That's what they keep tellin' me, yeah. You with team CFVY or not?"

Coco frowned at the young man's brusque tone. Everything about this tactless beast rubbed her wrong. "Yeah. I'm Coco Adel, leader of team CFVY."

"Eagon Sullivan. Pleased t'meetcha." He pushed past her and into the room. "Which one's mine, then?"

"Yours will be the set-up next to Velvet."

Eagon glanced at the prone faunus. "She still breathin'?"

Coco nodded. "Yeah. We've had a bit of a rough week. Lost one of our teammates a few days ago."

He had the good grace to look solemn. "Sorry t' hear that. I know the feelin'." Looking about, he noticed Fox lounging on his bed. "Who's this fellow, then?"

"That's Fox Alistair. He doesn't say much."

"So, we've got Velvet, Coco, and Fox." He pointed to each in turn. "Who was the 'Y' in CFVY?"

Coco bit her lip. "Yatsuhashi Daichi."

"An' he's the stiff, aye?"

She inhaled sharply. "He was our teammate." She advanced on Eagon with a few long strides. "He saved our lives by giving his. Show a little respect."

Eagon immediately backed away, raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, lass, alright. I'm proper chafed." He set his bags on his bed, opened one, and dug around in it. Finally, he retrieved a bottle, popped the cork on it, and offered it to her. "Peace offerin'?"

Coco caught a whiff of what the bottle contained. The strong smell of whiskey caused her to flinch. "Thanks but I've got my own."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. How about ye, mate?"

"Don't drink." Fox replied with narrowed eyes.

"To each their own, then." He turned to Velvet. "Whaddaya say, bunny? Ye look like ye could use a drop of the pure." When she didn't reply, he reached over her and gave her shoulder a firm shake. "Oi!"

Coco stepped in, swatting his hand away. "Leave her alone. She doesn't drink either."

Eagon sat down on his bed. "Try to offer a bit o' good cheer and I get me head eaten. Ah, well. That's life, eh?" He raised the bottle to them. "Here's to ye lot fer lettin' me tag along. Hopefully, we'll all figure out how to get along. Cheers." He upturned the bottle into his mouth, taking several deep gulps of the strong liquor.

Setting the drink aside, he began to unpack. His first bag, he set on the floor and nudged beneath the bed with a foot.

Coco's curiosity got the better of her. "What's in there?"

Eagon shot her a scowl. "None o' yer business, that's what and I'll thank ye to not go pokin' yer nose where it don't belong. Leave it be and we'll be the best o' mates, ye and I."

Coco frowned. "I don't like secrets among my team, _mate_."

"Then let's meet in the middle. I'll answer whatever questions ye want, save any regardin' the bag or me old team."

She reasoned that this was probably a big concession on his part and accepted it. She would have her answers, she just needed to be patient. "Fine, then. Where do you come from?"

"Vacuo, originally, but I went to school in Atlas before transferin' here."

"Why did you transfer?"

"Yer Wizard Ozpin asked me. Somethin' about havin' another chance and helpin' ye out."

That confused Coco a bit. "Why would Ozpin think we need help?"

"Me guess is ye lot bein' down a member." He fished a long club capped in brass from his bag.

"What's that?"

He turned and held the club out for inspection. "This is me weapon: _Blackthorn_. She's a shillelagh when I find someone in need of a good smackin' and a grenade launcher when there's wet work to be done."

"A grenade launcher?"

"Aye. A bit overpowered, I know, but I only wanna kill somethin' once and Vacuo has some mighty fierce beasties muckin' about."

Coco nodded. "Seems reasonable."

"'Tis." With a slightly clumsy flourish, he stowed _Blackthorn_ on his belt.

"How did you manage to get Ozpin's attention?"

He met her gaze levelly. "I was in town with me team for the Vytal festival. We were gonna fight in the tournaments. We'd just gotten into the ports when Grimm started comin' out of the ground. We figured that Vale had seen fit to give us lads a fine welcome so we had ourselves a merry row, but the Grimm just kept comin'. Then this blonde bimbo comes marchin' in, swattin' away Grimm left and right with this ridin' crop of hers. One, two, three and lovely as ye please, she seals up the holes and continues on her way. I only found out today that she's from here."

"Professor Goodwitch?"

"Aye, the lass that looks like a naughty librarian."

"I wouldn't let her hear you say that."

"Any chance she'll see fit to give me a swat with that crop o' hers?"

Coco frowned. "I doubt it. More like she'll toss you out on your ear. She's a stickler for rules."

Eagon grinned. "All the best ones are 'til ye get 'em near a bed."

Coco chuckled. While he was rough, she liked his sense of humor. It wasn't enough to erase the horrible first impression he left, but it was a start. "Good luck with that."

"I won't need luck. I'll just lay on that old Vacuo charm, pour a few good drinks into the lass, and cart her off. The next thing she'll know, she'll be in me bed and I'll be in her." He growled with a wink.

Coco twitched. "If I find you in my bed..."

"Don't worry yerself, lass. Yer not naughty enough for me tastes, but I like yer confidence. No, I think ye'll give me a few good bashes if I even try anythin' on ye."

"I'd give you more than a few good bashes." She confirmed. "That's saying nothing of what he'll do to you." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder at Fox, who had taken a sudden interest in the conversation.

Eagon looked over her shoulder at the man. "Ye two are together then?"

"More or less."

"I don't aim to step on another man's toes or interrupt your fun." He agreed with a nod. "If ye're up to shenanigans, just hang somethin' on the doorknob and I'll leave ye be." He locked eyes with Fox. "I can give ye a few good pointers if'n yer interested, lad."

"Don't need 'em. She can't walk after I'm done with her." He replied in a dry tone.

That amused Eagon, who threw his head back in loud laugh. "That good, eh? Can't say I've ever had a woman complain of that from me."

Fox simply shrugged.

He sat back down. "Well, mates, I feel like this is going to be a beautiful relationship."

"Get off of that."

Coco, Fox, and Eagon turned to Velvet, who had rolled over and was staring at the newcomer.

"Get off of that. It's not yours." The faunus commanded, pushing herself into a sitting position.

Eagon looked about, clearly confused.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you are not a member of team CFVY. You have no right to sit there or even be in this room."

Eagon turned to Coco. "What the bloody hell is she talkin' about?"

Standing, Velvet began to become irate. "It's not your bed! Get off of it! Coco, make him get off of Yatsuhashi's bed!"

Coco crossed to Velvet and put a gentle but restraining hand on her shoulder. "Velvet, honey, Yatsuhashi is gone. Do you understand? This is Eagon. He's here to help us."

"He doesn't belong!"

"Yes, he does. Ozpin sent him to be our new member."

"We already have four members. Yatsuhashi will be okay." She pointed an accusatory finger at Eagon. "You don't belong here. We already have four members. We can't have more than four. Take your things and get out!"

"Velvet, don't be rude. Yatsuhashi's..." Coco paused, trying to find the words to explain the situation delicately. "He's gone home."

Velvet froze and turned to Coco with wide eyes. "B-but, he's coming back, right? He'll be right back?"

Coco bit her lip as she steeled herself in preparation of breaking her teammate's heart. "No, Velvet. He's not coming back."

The faunus trembled as she slowly turned back to Eagon. "You...You made him leave. Admit it!"

Eagon, who had watched the entire spectacle with a slack jaw, slowly shook his head as he spoke. "Love, I haven't the foggiest idea what you're goin' on about."

" _Liar_!" She shrieked, launching herself at the man. The moment she landed, she began to pummel him, punctuating each blow of her fists with a command to leave. Fox crossed the room in an instant, hauled Velvet, who flailed and screamed, off of Eagon and pinned her to the floor.

Eagon sat up and shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Are you hurt?" Coco asked.

"Ah, don't mind me. It'll take more than a few bunny taps to put me out, that's for sure."

The door to the dorm room was flung open and Professor Port strode in. "What the devil is going on in here?" He bellowed. "Mister Alistair, kindly remove yourself from Miss Scarlatina this instant."

"Professor Port, sir. This is all just a misunderstanding." Coco declared as she stepped up to him.

"What do you mean, Miss Adel?"

"I'll explain everything, but let's step out into the hall where it's a bit quieter."

"Mister Alistair, get off of Miss Scarlatina. I will not tell you again, young man. Miss Scarlatina, please be silent."

Fox obediently released Velvet, who took the opportunity to launch herself, again, at Eagon. Port wrapped a meaty hand around the girl's arm, holding her back. She began to scream again until Coco took the girl in an embrace that was more restraining than comforting and sat with her on her bed. While she had quieted, Velvet continued to growl and tremble, making occasional lunges to break free.

"Now," Port declared the moment the room had quieted enough for them to speak in reasonable tones, "I demand an explanation."

"Yes, sir. Eagon is a new student assigned to team CFVY to replace Yatsuhashi Daichi."

Port turned to Eagon and extended a hand. "How do you do, young man? I am Peter Port, professor of Grimm Studies here at Beacon."

He took the hand and gave it a shake. "Eagon Sullivan, sir, formerly of team WSKE. It's a pleasure."

Port grunted before releasing Eagon's hand. "A firm handshake. I like that. My father always said you can tell much about a man by how firm his handshake is."

"Wise words indeed, sir."

"And you're here as Mister Daichi's replacement?"

"That's correct, sir."

"I often supervise team CFVY in the field. I look forward to seeing what you're capable of."

"I shall not disappoint, sir."

"Splendid, young man." He turned to the rest of the group, his usually jovial expression darkening. "I received several emergency calls about noise coming from this room and I arrive to find Mister Alistair assaulting Miss Scarlatina while you two stand by and watch. Explain this madness."

Coco nodded. "Yes, sir. You see, Velvet hasn't been well since Yatsuhashi passed. She's been in a state of denial and depression ever since we returned. Apparently, Eagon's arrival broke all of that and sent her into a rage. She attacked him and Fox was just trying to keep her from hurting him or herself."

"Is this true, Miss Scarlatina?"

Velvet didn't respond and only continued to glare at Eagon.

"Miss Scarlatina, I asked you a question."

"I don't think you'll get much more out of her, sir." Coco explained. "We haven't had much luck."

"Miss Scarlatina, you _will_ look at me when I speak to you."

Slowly, Velvet raised her head to meet Port's stare.

"We'll have no more problems, correct?"

She remained silent and Port's expression darkened. "Miss Scarlatina, that was not a rhetorical question. I expect a response. We'll have no more problems."

"No, sir. No more problems."

"Wonderful. If there are any more...concerns, please come and see me before things come to blows. I'll not have my best team at each other's throats."

"Yes, sir." Coco responded. "We'll bear that in mind."

"Miss Adel, should any more concerns arise, I'd like you to bring Miss Scarlatina to the school psychiatrist promptly. Is that understood?"

"Understood, sir."

"Very good." Port replied with a nod. "I'll be in my office if you need me. I can be here directly."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Port gave a final nod and departed, leaving a silent room.

Eagon was the first to speak, looking between his three teammates. "Well, that was a thing." His gaze focused on Velvet. "Allow me to explain something to ye, lass. I was asked to come here. I was given the opportunity to become a part of something bigger than myself and I took it. Do ye think I was outta line on that?"

Silence reigned for a moment before Coco broke it. "She doesn't."

"She has a bloody mouth. She can speak for herself." Eagon muttered.

Coco stood. "Excuse me?"

"I told ye to shut yer bloody trap!"

The woman was quick. In an instant, she had reached beneath her bed, grabbed her handbag, and swung. The impact against his head knocked Eagon across the room, sending him impacting the wall with a resounding crash. Coco glared at him, her handbag clenched in her fist. Slowly, Eagon pushed himself up and regained his feet.

"That's a bloody good bashin', Coco. I like that, but bunny still needs to answer for herself." He turned his slightly unfocused gaze back to Velvet. "Ye didn't answer my question, bunny. Am I outta line on wantin' to improve me life?"

Velvet trembled. "No."

"Glad we can agree on somethin'. Now, I want to make this very clear. I only joined your team because Ozpin assigned me to it. If I'da had me pick, yours probably wouldn'ta crossed me mind. That bein' said, I didn't come here to piss on yer mate's memory or thumb me nose at ye. I'm here to take advantage of a good opportunity and nothin' more. Love me or hate me, lass, I'm here to stay and there's not a single damn thing ye can do about it."


	2. Chapter 2

Eagon struggled to dress on the morning of his first day of classes at Beacon. He hadn't slept much the night before and figured it was less the current situation and more the fact that he always found it difficult to sleep in new places. All of the alienness made it impossible to relax.

"Are you ready?" Coco asked.

"Nearly, lass, nearly. Just gotta finish with me cloth noose here and I'll be tip-top."

"I thought men got ready faster than the ladies." Velvet snarked.

"Oi! I'll thank the peanut gallery for its silence."

"I was just commenting about something I was raised to believe not being true."

"Oh, is that it then? Ye know, I always thought the Faunus were hardcore bastards, able to take anything life throws at them and give back seven-fold with a smile. Guess we're both a bit disappointed, aye?"

"You two have been sniping at each other since we woke up and I've just about had my fill." Coco warned.

"Aye. I'll agree with ye there. That's why miss bunny over there better shut her smart mouth before Blackthorn and I shut it for her." He felt the leather of the handbag impact the back of his head, sending him into the wall. With a grunt and a bit of struggle, he pulled his head free. "So, that's how it'll be, aye? Well, we'd better let Wizard Ozpin know he'll need to be payin' the maintenance lot double for the work they'll put in."

"It won't be that way if you don't threaten my teammates."

"I won't threaten them if they mind their manners."

"That's rich, coming from you." Velvet snapped.

"Oi! I tried to be nice and polite with you lot. I tried to get on well and spread the good cheer, just like me ma taught me, but ye just wanna whine an' moan." His voice took on a high-pitched whine. "Oh, me poor mate's dead and I can't go on. I'll just lie here like a beaten dog and eat the head o' any bastard that tries to cheer me up. Bollocks to that, lass. Ye ain't the only one grievin' here an' ye ain't the only one in a position they don't like. Suck it up an' try to make the best of it, aye? Like I said yesterday, there's nothin' ye can do to make me wanna give up me last chance at makin' me folks proud. I've put in too much time and too much effort to give it up to some snarky bitch. Aye, I've tried to be nice but I've got me limits an' we've just about reached 'em. I've not got a problem knockin' a lass on her arse. I'd rather not, but I will if I have to."

"If you think I'm intimidated by a drunken brute like you-"

"Velvet, knock it off." Coco cut off the Faunus with a wave of her hand. She set her weapon aside and stepped up to Eagon. "Be patient with her. Everything that's happened has affected her worst. Normally, she's not like this." She grabbed the ends of his tie and began twisting it. "Still, I'd call this an improvement. This is the most she's said in days. While it's annoying, I think she's beginning to recover. So, thanks for that." She expertly tied the knot and tightened it under his collar.

"Here, I've been fightin' that thing for ten minutes. How did ye know to do that?"

"I went through a phase where I was really into ties for a while. You were taking too long and I'm hungry. C'mon. Let's go get some breakfast."

"Where'd that Fox fellow wander off to?" Eagon asked as they left the room.

Coco shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. He typically vanishes pretty early. I think he takes an early breakfast then goes for a walk. He'll show back up later, I'm sure."

"An' ye let him do his own thing, yeah?"

"He's a pretty private person. Even _I_ don't know everything about him. I think he's a ward of the state. He refuses to talk about his family or even where he's from."

"I rather like him. Reminds me of one of me old teammates. Fellow never spoke unless it was necessary. Even then, we couldn't bloody well understand him."

The mention of a team brought a rather important subject to Coco's mind. She had wanted to speak with Eagon about it but, in the chaos of the previous night, it had slipped from her thoughts. "I need to set your roles on the team. Everybody on team CFVE can fill at least two roles depending on their semblance. What's yours?"

He winked at her. "Ye ain't figured it out yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon, lass. Yer smarter than that. Each time ye'd bash me with that bag o' yers and I'd just shake it off, ye ain't caught on?"

"Well, I figured your aura was just absorbing the worst of the blows, but you've been able to just shake off each one, including the impact of whatever you end up hitting."

He nodded. "Aye."

"So, I'd say you've been activating your semblance but it's not an obvious effect. It's very subtle, unnoticeable."

"Aye."

"And these blows have no effect. None whatsoever. I mean, I've been hitting you hard enough to put you down for a while. Even if you had your aura up, you should have earned a bruise at the very least. Therefore, your semblance has been protecting you." She reasoned.

Eagon applauded her. "Well done, lass, well done. Aye. Me semblance is resilience. If you keep hitting me, I keep getting tougher. Of course, I ain't invincible. Hit me hard enough and you'll kill me."

"How hard would that have to be?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Why do ye want to know?"

"lt's a good idea to let your team know your limits. I don't want to put you in a situation where you might get overwhelmed."

"Aye. That makes sense. Put it to you this way: A Death Stalker once knocked the wind out of me."

She nodded. "Aside from knocking the wind out of you, did it do anything else?"

"Not really. Felt like it cracked me chest, but the doctors couldn't find anything."

"Well, I can't hit any harder than a Death Stalker..."

"Good to know."

"...but I can hit faster."

Eagon snorted. "I'll bear that in mind. Now, there is a limit. Me semblence is only good against blunt force. Blades occasionally slip through but even they'll lose effect if they don't take me in the first strike or two. The only thing that'll chew through is bullets. They seem to bust through every time." He fished a silver flask out of his pocket and opened the cap.

Coco caught the strong scent of whiskey. "Really? It's seven-thirty in the morning."

"Eh, I'm Vacuoian. It's in me nature." He replied with a grin.

"It's in your nature to be drunk all the time?"

"I'm not drunk all the time. Just most of the time."

"Right, because that's _so much better_."

"Don't judge me, lady. I've got me own wounds to lick and how I chose to lick 'em is up to me."

"I disagree. You see, on the battlefield, I need to know that I can count on you. I need to know you'll be there if I need you. I can't have people on my team that I can't rely on."

"I see yer point, but we've known each other for a few days, aye?. That's it. Pardon me fer sayin' but that ain't enough time to get a measure of a man."

She thought this over a moment. "Fair enough. Alright, Mister Sullivan. You have one week to impress me. If, by the end of that week I'm not impressed, I'll be having words with Professor Ozpin about you."

x-x

Eagon considered himself a bit of an expert on Dust. _Blackthorn_ fired grenades composed of Burn dust. He found those to be the most useful. Though he wouldn't admit this aloud, he also added a tiny bit of Burn Dust to his whisky. He planned to have himself cremated after his death. The only drawback was that he wouldn't be around to see the explosion. It had the added effect of giving a bit of a kick to his alcohol, which he thoroughly enjoyed.

Professor Port was giving a lecture on the effects of the various types of Dust on the Creatures of Grimm that had somehow evolved into a tale of how he had defeated an Ursa using Freeze Dust shells. Freeze Dust had its merits, Eagon couldn't argue, but Burn Dust was his preferred cartridge.

Despite what everybody seemed to think, he wasn't some stupid lout. He was a man who enjoyed the good and simple things in life: Food, friends, fighting, and drink. Yet, somehow, he had managed to muck his entire situation up. When she wasn't throwing verbal barbs, Velvet would simply sit and glare at him. Coco was intent on throwing him out unless he seriously proved his worth, and Fox didn't seem to give a damn one way or the other.

He'd show them. If they wanted to be impressed, he'd damn well impress them. Port's story continued on and, while most of the other students had begun to zone out or nod off, Eagon listened closely. Through the mostly boastful nonsense, there were nuggets of useful information. Ursi were generally unaffected by Freeze Dust but it would slow them down a bit. Enough Freeze would kill them but, as Port explained, it would take a great deal of time and effort. Eagon saw the genius behind the man's teaching. Those that cared enough would listen and would gain the knowledge he possessed, they just had to withstand the test of his rambling first. The bell rang and, as students fled the lecture hall, Eagon continued to collect notes.

"Mister Sullivan, class has ended." Port pointed out.

"Yes, sir. Don't mind me. I just need to take these last few notes and I'll be out of yer hair."

Port chuckled. "It's no problem at all, young man. I'm pleased when students show such diligence in their work. I only hope that more would follow your example."

"Yes, sir."

"Tell me, how are you finding Beacon?"

"It's quite simple, sir. I need only look down and there it is."

Port was silent for a moment before he burst into loud laughter. "Very good, Mister Sullivan. I admire such wit."

"Thank you, sir."

"And have there been any more problems settling in?"

"Nothing to note, sir. Velvet continues to be a pain in me arse. Excuse me, continues to be uncooperative, but I suspect that has to do more with the recent troubles within the team than meself."

Port nodded. "Yes, Mister Daichi was a good man and showed fine potential to be an excellent Huntsman. You, yourself, show many of the same qualities."

"Yes, sir, and I think that might be the point of friction between the team and meself. I think they think I'm trying to replace him rather than simply fill a position." Eagon replied as he began to return papers and books to his bag.

"I wouldn't dwell too much on it. Mister Daichi's untimely end came as a shock to all of us. I'm certain that, in time, the others will come to accept you. Simply continue as you are and they will adjust."

"I hope so, sir."

In the corridor, Eagon retrieved his scroll from his pocket and was pleased to see that it was time for lunch. Being from Vacuoian farmland, he was used to big meals to prepare one for long hours in the fields. Therefore, he found the meals at Beacon somewhat wanting. The student cafeteria was across the courtyard from the building he was in so he set off through the bright sunshine, passing his fellow students as he went. Few paid him any mind and those that did didn't seem particularly interested in him. He wasn't really used to being alone like this. Back in Atlas, he and his team were together almost constantly and spending so much time by himself was a bit of a trial. However, being alone was better than being on the receiving end of Velvet's attitude.

He entered the cafeteria to find it packed. While the visiting students had long since departed, it seemed Beacon had a large enough population to fill its gargantuan eatery. He surveyed the tables, looking for an empty seat, and a cry rang in his ears.

"Ow! Stop that!"

He searched for the source of the voice and found a familiar pair of long rabbit ears, one of which was being pulled by a bulky idiot. While he wasn't Velvet's biggest fan, he'd be damned if he let some prick pick on her. Quickly, he advanced on the group.

"Leave me alone!" Velvet cried again, trying to free herself.

The prick was surrounded by three of his cronies. One was a fat bastard with the ugliest haircut Eagon had ever seen. Another was a preppy-looking pretty boy who'd probably not last a minute outside the kingdom walls. The third was a toothpick with a hairstyle he probably thought made him look cool.

When the prick refused to let go, Eagon reached forward and grabbed his wrist. "Me mate here asked ye to leave her be. I suggest ye do that."

Prick scowled as he turned to Eagon. "Yeah? And what are you gonna do if I don't?"

He shrugged. "This." He gripped the side of Prick's head and slammed it into the table. From the corner of his eye, he saw Toothpick move suddenly and ducked under the fist, returning the favor with a punch to the boy's stomach. Fat bastard caught an elbow to the nose while Pretty boy got his legs kicked out from under him. With the three stooges dealt with, Eagon returned his attention to the class prick. He locked his forearm against the inside of Prick's elbow, gripped the thick wrist, and bent the arm double. "Alright, arsehole, listen up. The way I've got ye twisted, one false move will break yer damn arm." Eagon pulled tighter on the prick's wrist to emphasize his point. "If I catch ye molestin' me mate, Velvet, again, I'll do a sight worse than break yer arm, aye? I suggest ye leave her alone from now on."

"You won't last a minute after I tell Goodwitch." The prick threatened.

"Oh, go ahead and let her know. She'll come to me and ask why I saw fit to beat the shite outta ye. 'Course, I'll have no choice but to tell her me version of events, including the bit about how ye were botherin' me friend. Seein' as how she's a Faunus and yer...well...not, any idiot could see that I was only steppin' in to stop a hate crime. Now, I'm sure Goodwitch wouldn't want the name of this fine institution smeared by the knowledge of racial hate crimes occurrin' on its grounds, so she'll have no choice but to put ye out. I think it's best if ye kept yer mouth shut and went along, aye?"

He released the prick, who immediately retreated with his lackeys in tow, all the while muttering vulgar threats over his shoulder. Eagon looked to see that the occupants of several nearby tables were staring at him. "Right, you lot." He barked. "Back to yer knittin', this is awkward enough without ye nosy gits listenin' in." With those final words, he straddled the bench and sat, silently staring at Velvet, who was hiding her face in her hands.

As the cafeteria returned to normalcy, she finally noticed him. "What?"

"Are ye hurt?"

"No." She muttered, staring down at her tray. "Why did you do that?"

"Well, ye were bein' bothered. I ain't gonna stand aside and let one of me teammates, or really anybody, get picked on like that."

"Oh, is that it? So, what, you think you're a knight in shining armor? What should I do now, fall swooning into your arms?"

Eagon's eyes narrowed. "Can't say I care for the attitude, lass. I don't expect a damn thing outta ye, 'cept maybe a thanks. Hope that's not too much to ask. I'll help anyone who I think needs it, so, unless ye liked havin' yer ears pulled, yer welcome."

Velvet glared down at her tray. "Thanks." She mumbled.

"Sorry. Didn't quite catch that."

"I said 'Thanks'." She snapped. "And before you get it into your head that I'm some damsel in distress just waiting to be rescued, I'm not. Just so we're clear."

"Aye. Crystal." He replied with a nod. "Y'know, Velvet, I can't quite get me head around this animosity."

"Oh, well done. A five-syllable word. What's next? Maybe you'll learn how to write your name?"

"See? That's what I'm talkin' about. I get that I'm not the best at first impressions. I know I'm not the most charming bastard in the world, but I'm curious as to what I did to deserve these bad feelin's."

Velvet returned her attention to her tray, picked up her fork, and poked at the food a bit. "You're not him." She finally said.

"What? Not yer mate? Ye don't say. Listen, I know I'm not him. I'm not here to replace him. Ozpin asked me to come here and he placed me with yer team. Before that, I never knew ye lot even existed. This isn't some plan to get ye to forget about him and, believe it or not, makin' me miserable ain't goin' to bring him back." Eagon sat back a minute and thought. "I've heard more than a bit about yer mate, Yatsuhashi. He was a good lad, aye? Worked hard and kept himself out of trouble. I can admire a fellow like that. Now, let me ask ye somethin'. If he was here, right now, and saw the way ye've been treatin' me, what do ye think he'd say about it?"

Velvet's ears wilted in shame.

"Aye, that's what I thought." He gave her shoulder a gentle pat. "I'd like the chance to be able to work with ye, but I can't do that if we're constantly at each other's throats. If it makes ye feel better, it ain't any easier fer me. I can promise ye that." He gave her shoulder a final pat and stood. "If ye need me, ye know where to look."

x-x

Night had fallen by the time Coco had returned from her final class of the day. Velvet and Fox were still out but Eagon was waiting, already halfway through a fresh bottle of whisky. She crossed to her bed and set her school bag on it, all the while watching him watch her. Eagon's dark eyes never left her as she slipped out of her school shoes and nudged them beneath the bed.

"Had a good day?" She asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

He stood and took a few steps towards her. "Did ye know that Velvet was bein' bullied?"

She stared at him. It wasn't really that much of a surprise to her. Velvet was a Faunus and found herself on the receiving end of torment from her peers more often than not. "Really?"

"Aye. Caught the pricks in the act meself just today. Do ye mean to tell me that you had no idea?"

Coco shrugged. "She brought it up earlier this year but she told me she could handle it."

"What? And ye believed her?"

"What do you want me to do? I can't look over her shoulder every moment of every day."

"I don't expect that. What I do expect is for ye to step in when one of yer teammates obviously needs yer help."

"I told her to come to me if she needed any help."

"In case ye missed it, lass, she did. Earlier this year, she asked ye for help and ye shrugged her off. Y'know, this mornin' ye told me that ye needed yer teammates reliable on the battlefield. Fine. But ye need to be reliable yerself, both on and off of the field. If one of yer teammates comes to ye, it's up to ye to read between the lines and figure out what ye need to do to help them."

Coco frowned. "While you're up there on your high horse, do you mind explaining what happened to your team?"

The speed with which he moved startled her. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the room and was in her face. "Careful, lass."

She had stared down Grimm that were more intimidating than him. "I just want to know why you're here instead of with your team, seeing as how you know all about being a good leader and all."

There was a subtle shift in his expression as his eyes widened and his pupils contracted. The look on his face caused her heart to skip a beat. At that moment, she knew she had crossed a line and it was only a matter of time before he flattened her.

"Ye dare." He hissed, his fists clenching. "Lemme explain somethin' to ye, girl. Me teammates were far better men than I'll ever find here. Me old mate was twice the leader ye _think_ ye are. He's the man who taught me all about that leadership shite I told ye. He led by example and, when the time came, gave everythin' he had. Don't ye _dare_ begin to compare yerself to him. Ye ain't worthy and, if ye keep like this, ye never will be. As fer me bein' here, I know I failed them. I'm reminded of that every. Single. _Damn._ Day and if ye try to use their memory on me like that again, I swear I'll _rip yer damn tongue out_!"

She was rooted to the spot as he stalked back across the room, sat down at his desk, and stared into space, trying to calm himself. Never before had she been spoken to like that. Never before was she so certain that she would find herself in the infirmary. It had been terrifying.

"Oh, and don't worry about those bullies. I've already taken care of it."

As soon as her numbness eased enough for her to move, Coco went to her dresser and fetched her cognac. Her hands shook slightly as she poured twice her usual measure into a glass and sat down on her bed. She stared into the dark liquid, thinking for a moment, before she spoke. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, I was outta line. Shouldn't've threatened ye."

"No. I shouldn't have brought them up like I did. You did warn me before."

"Aye."

"I know I'm not a good team leader. I'm selfish and hypocritical and I don't know what I'm doing half the time." She took a sip of her drink. "Yatsuhashi only died because I told him to go and rescue Velvet, who only needed it because I had put her in that position. My mistakes cost him his life. My mistakes cost a family their son. My mistakes cost Velvet her best friend."

"That's the curse of leadership, isn't it? That knowledge that one slip-up, one miscalculation, one error in judgement could cost ye everythin'. Can't say that's somethin' I could handle meself. So I guess that makes ye a right sight better than me."

"You think I'm handling it?" She scoffed, upended her glass, and refilled it. "Look at me. I haven't slept properly since we got back. If Velvet's nightmares don't wake me, my own do. I can't think straight in class. My grades have started to slip and the Professors have begun to notice." She looked down into her empty glass and tried to figure out how it had gotten that way. She returned it to its position next to the bottle and rested her face in her hands. "I have no idea what I'm doing and I think I'm starting to lose it."

The bed shifted as he sat next to her. "If ye want me word on it, I think ye're thinkin' too hard on this. Aye, Yatsuhashi's dead and worryin' over it ain't gonna bring him back. Now, the only choice ye've got is to learn from your mistake. Ye know more about Velvet's limitations and your team's capacity to handle those. Take that knowledge and put it to good use, lass, so there ain't any more Yatsuhashis."

She gave a humorless laugh. "Easier said than done."

"Aye but ye don't strike me as someone who backs down from a challenge. And it's somethin' that ye, as a leader, need to do. I can't tell ye how to do it, but I can tell ye that it needs to be done. If ye don't do it, ye fail. Plain and simple."

"That still doesn't mean I know what I'm doing."

"Ain't that why yer here? To learn? I'm not gonna lie, it's a tall order to fill but, let me ask ye somethin'; who named ye the leader?"

"Ozpin did, when he named the team our first day here."

"Aye. Yer wizard Ozpin seems like a bloke who knows what he's doin'. Ye gotta trust him that he named the right person to lead and live up to that trust. Yer gonna make mistakes, but a mistake that costs someone their life, well that's a mistake a good leader only makes once."

Coco hung her head. "I never want to go through this again. I don't want anybody to feel this kind of guilt."

"Hopefully, ye'll have yer way."


	3. Chapter 3

Every semester, the students of Beacon went for a physical. While the school's infirmary was capable of handling any illness or injury that the students might sustain, physical examinations were held at a clinic in Vale. The doctors there performed the exam and would send the results over to the doctors in the infirmary for student records.

Coco found herself wandering over there on her first free day since Eagon's arrival. She didn't particularly care for the ritual, but it was one that needed to be done. Otherwise, she risked her and her team's Active status.

Through the lobby doors, she made a beeline for the nearby weapons' alcove. Carrying weapons inside the clinic was strictly forbidden and any visiting Huntsmen and Huntresses were strongly encouraged to leave the tools of their trade with the security guard stationed there.

She set her bag on the counter and scribbled her name on the sign-in sheet. As she turned to leave, she noticed the weapons on the shelves behind the guard. One weapon in particular caught her eye: Blackthorn.

She frowned, wondering what he was doing here, and made a mental note to ask him about it when she next saw him. She continued into the waiting room where she signed in with the receptionist and found a seat. Plucking up a tattered fashion magazine from the adjacent table, she casually crossed her legs and paged through it. The articles boasted designs that were more than a year outdated by designers that had long-since bowed their way to obscurity but it was a distraction that staved off boredom, if nothing else.

Coco kept one eye on the weapons alcove, hoping to catch Eagon on his way out. While she did, she found her mind turning to the Vacuoian bastard that had stumbled his way onto her team. By all accounts, he had acted like a horrendous ass. He had been disrespectful, aggressive, and threatening. She had every right to demand his removal from the team but she hesitated each time the opportunity arose for reasons she couldn't rightly define. She thought about how he had been around her teammates and, when she thought about it, most of what he had done had been reactive. When Velvet had been rude, he reacted similarly. Yet, when needed, he'd risen to her defense. When Coco herself stepped out of line, he called her out. He'd intimidated her and threatened her safety then he had sat down and given her a thought to mull over in her mind. While they had spent most of the time discussing their childhoods and she still knew nothing of the events that brought him to Beacon, it had been a good talk.

Whatever Eagon had managed to do between the times when he wasn't drinking or studying, it had worked. Velvet was more active, even if she was still quiet and melancholic at times. Fox had taken to vanishing less, though he did still wander the school grounds, pondering the things he pondered.

"Excuse me."

She tucked her legs in as a girl with long red hair and polished bronze armor sidled past and took a seat next to her. Coco eyed the girl for a moment before speaking. "Hey, love the outfit. Rugged, yet elegant. It's a look not many can pull off."

"Thanks." The girl replied after a moment's hesitation. "I like yours as well."

Coco continued to stare. She knew this girl attended Beacon but the armor struck another memory. "I'm sorry, but I could swear I've seen you somewhere before."

"We both go to the same school."

"Yeah, but aside from that."

"Oh. I was on a cereal box once. _Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes_?

Coco stuck her tongue out. "Ugh, no." The girl looked slightly ashamed and Coco quickly recovered. "I mean, good job on getting onto the box and all but I've never touched the stuff. It all looks too sweet."

"Yes. It's not very good for you, I'm sorry to say. Perhaps you follow the Mistral Regional tournaments?"

She snapped her fingers. "Of course, that's where I know you from. You're _the_ Pyrrha Nikos, right?" It wasn't often that Coco fangirled, but she had adored Pyrrha ever since she had won her fourth championship and set the record. "Sorry I didn't recognize you before. I thought I did but I didn't think that you of all people would be at Beacon."

Pyrrha shrugged. "Beacon offered the best curriculum and I wanted to travel a bit."

"So, you're here for your physical?"

She blushed slightly. "Er, no. I've been feeling a bit strange lately."

"Oh? Coming down with something?"

"I hope not. No. It's just something strange. A bit embarrassing actually."

"So, are you going to share or what?"

Pyrrha flinched. "Oh, I wasn't planning on it."

"Maybe I can help. Save you some time and worry if nothing else."

Pyrrha blinked. "Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt." She glanced around before leaning towards Coco and lowering her voice. "I've missed my...er...time. Two or three times now."

Coco's eyes widened. "Oh, wow. That _is_ serious. When was the last time you had sex?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"You know." Coco made a circle with her forefinger and thumb and inserted the opposite finger through it.

"Oh, I've never. My parents are quite strict about that sort of thing though I did hug a guy." She paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. "You don't think…?"

Coco blinked. "You think you might have gotten pregnant from _hugging_ a guy?"

"That's the only explanation I can come up with."

Coco suddenly began laughing, loud enough that Pyrrha's blush deepened and a few nearby people noticed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It's just so adorable." Once she had composed herself, Coco cleared her throat and leaned towards Pyrrha. "Honey, you can't get pregnant from hugging a guy."

The girl looked genuinely confused, which almost set Coco off again. "But, my mother said that if I hugged or kissed any guy I wasn't related to, I could get pregnant."

"Oh, how do I say this nicely? I'm sure she was just trying to protect you until she thought you were ready, but she bent the truth a little."

"Are you saying my mother lied to me?"

"Hold on, now. Hold on. I'm saying she might have exaggerated the process to keep you from potentially making a mistake."

"I don't understand. Wouldn't she trust me to make a good judgement call?"

"I'm sure she does, Pyrrha, but that's beside the point. She's like us and knows how girls our age can be. We're young. We're horny. We like to have sex and we make mistakes sometimes. It's as simple as that. She wanted to make sure you didn't get too intimate with one of your classmates and let your hormones carry you away. Trust me when I say, you can't get pregnant from hugging, kissing, sharing a drink, cuddling, or anything like that. Only sex."

"Have you ever...you know." Pyrrha imitated Coco's earlier gesture.

"Oh." Coco rolled her eyes. "Stars above, have I done it. More than once."

"And you've never gotten pregnant? Not even once?"

"No, but I take precautions. I know who my partner is. I've only ever been with one guy...well...a couple of girls too but that was years ago. I make sure he uses a condom and I take the pill."

"The pill?"

"Birth control. It lessens the chances of getting pregnant if you're sexually active. I'm surprised you've never heard of any of this stuff before."

"Like I said, my parents are very strict. I guess they wanted to preserve my innocence for as long as possible."

Coco nodded her agreement. "It's probably pretty scary for a parent to think of their child procreating so I can see why they would have kept this from you. Personally speaking, I would have been completely open. My parents were when we had this talk."

"What should I do now?"

"Well, nothing's really changed except that you have more knowledge. Don't have sex if you're not ready. Don't let anybody pressure you to have sex. If they threaten to leave you, let them leave. If they try to hurt you, kick their ass. Do what you've been doing. At least now you don't look like a complete fool or a naive child so there's that."

"But I'm still confused. If I'm not pregnant, why haven't I been having my cycle?"

"Oh, there's lots of reasons for that: change in diet, exercise, scheduling changes, travelling. Really anything can disrupt the cycle."

Pyrrha flopped back in her chair and raised a hand to her face, letting out an embarrassed giggle. "I must look so foolish right now."

"Oh, no. No. I mean, it's not like our parents or the schools do a great job of explaining this stuff anyway. I'll be honest, most of it I found out on my own. Like my dad always says: 'It's better to ask a question a look like a little fool today than make a mistake and look like a huge fool tomorrow.'"

A nurse appeared in the doorway with a clipboard in hand. "Miss Coco Adel?"

Coco raised her hand in acknowledgement before standing and turning to Pyrrha. "It's been great, but I've got to get going. Keep in touch, okay?"

The other girl stood and embraced her. "Thanks, Coco. You've been a great help. I can see why Ozpin put you in charge of CFVE."

Turning away, Coco moved to follow the nurse. Sure, Pyrrha could see why Coco was named leader, she had wisdom and was willing to help anyone, but wisdom and willingness did not make a leader. Coco still had her doubts about her aptitude for the position.

Her boot heels echoed off of the tiled floor as she followed the nurse to an examination room, Lining the corridors were rooms that hosted those in need of long term care who had the money. They were mostly those too old or sick to live otherwise. A familiar voice echoed quietly from an open door and she idly glanced inside. Eagon was busily shaving away the week's worth of facial hair from the occupant, a young man who lay attached to all sorts of monitoring equipment. The young man's fair complexion made him blend nearly perfectly with the pristine white bedsheets. The only thing that made him stand out was the shock of thick auburn hair that spread out over the pillow.

"I tell ye, Kennon, she's one for the books, Coco is. Somehow, she's gotten it into her mind that she's a poor leader. Stumbled once and refused to get back up. As if anybody knows how to do a good job on their first day. She's got standards, mate, I'll tell ye that much. Maybe she's set them too damn high for her own good. I dunno, maybe she just needs someone to prove wrong." He said as he fetched a towel and wiped away the last bit of shaving cream from the man's face.

She hurried to move on, not quite certain as to what she had seen. Had she not overheard the conversation, she would have been certain that Eagon was just helping out around the clinic in his spare hours. However, the way that he had spoken to the unconscious man had led Coco to believe that the two knew each other and quite well.

While she did have interest in the team Eagon had been with prior to attending Beacon, she hadn't done that much research out of respect for his privacy. She did know that they had been in Vale for the Vytal festival and had arrived just as the breach had gotten underway. The details after were a bit hazy but she did know, and all evidence seemed to indicate, that Eagon was the only one to walk away.

Was it possible that one other member of the team had survived?

x-x

Coco was waiting for Eagon when he returned to their dorm. Fox and Velvet were at dinner, something Coco herself decided to forego so that she could catch Eagon while he was still mostly sober.

He didn't say anything as he entered the room. Instead, he went to the cabinet by his bed and fetched a fresh bottle of whisky. He took a heavy drink before turning to her. "Ye've got that look on yer face. Me mam always wore that same look when I did wrong."

Coco shrugged in response and kicked a chair out, offering it to him. He crossed the room and sat opposite to her, keeping a bit of distance between them.

"No more secrets." She instructed as she poured a drink from her own stash and slid it across to him. "No more half-truths." She poured a second for herself. "I want the full story. Here and now. It'll stay between us if that's what you want but I need to know."

He picked up the glass. "We talked about this, aye?"

"We did but I need to know so I can gauge whether or not I can trust you." She sat back. "My team is my life. Fox, Velvet, now you, you are all my responsability."

"So this means I'm a member of team CFVE now, yeah?"

She shrugged again. "We'll see. Think of this as your final test. You're open with me and hold nothing back."

"The bag is off-limits."

"Nothing is off-limits." She snapped. "If I want to look in the bag, I'm looking in the bag. It's that simple. Otherwise, you can pack your things and leave tonight."

"So that's it, then. Yer just gonna boot me out like that?"

"Just like that." She confirmed. "All of that work. All of that money. Wasted."

"I don't like it."

"You don't have to."

She could see the conflict raging in his eyes as he debated between his own pride and his loyalty to his family. He didn't want to open up, but she was leaving him no choice. Coco was not a patient woman but she was willing to wait for this. She would have her answers tonight and nothing was going to stop her.

The door opened and Fox reentered with Velvet in tow. She snapped her fingers to get their attention, not wanting to distract Eagon while he thought, and shooed them away with a flick of her wrist.

Fox gave a single nod of understanding and quietly guided the Faunus back out into the hall, closing and locking the door behind him. He would make sure nothing short of an emergency disturbed them.

She returned her attention to Eagon, who was still deep in thought. "I have all night."

He gave a grunt and, ignoring her offering, began to guzzle down his own brew, draining half of the bottle in a few deep gulps. "Aye. Seems like ye've left me no out. Alright then, what do ye want to know?"

"I went to the clinic today for my physical. Saw you were there."

"Aye."

"That guy you were looking after. You know him, don't you?"

He was silent before nodding. "Aye. Kennon Cobalt. He's me best mate."

"Cobalt." Coco sat back a minute and thought. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"They're big arms manufactures for the military up in Atlas. Work a lot with the Schnee Dust Company. His da's some big mucky-muck with the military. Colonel or somethin', I think. Met the fella once. He didn't much care for me."

"I can see why. You're not the best at first impressions, or last impressions, or impressions in general." Coco took a sip from her drink. "Continue."

"Kennon and me were members of team WSKE, along with two other fellas: Wolfgang Svart and Silas Glascoch. Wolfie was our leader. Massive bastard of a Wolf Faunus. Dark as the night with big yellow eyes. He was a Dust Mage and a fine lad. Silas was just a normal fella. Quick on his feet and didn't say much. Your Fox reminds me of him a lot."

Eagon took a sip of the Cognac and grimaced. "Appreciate it, lass, but it's not quite me tastes. Not enough burn." He slid the glass back to her. "Anyway. We got on well as a team. Everybody played their strengths and everybody else's strengths. We were fresh off the boat from Atlas when things went to down. Grimm comin' out the ground and goin' back down before us. We were bloody well unstoppable."

"What happened?" Coco leaned forward, becoming absorbed in the story.

"Can't say for sure and that's the God's truth. Wolfgang was the first to fall. I guess the numbers of Grimm finally wore him out. Silas got torn up by a Boarbatusk. Kennon took an Ursa paw to the head, knocked him clear across the docks and into a building. After that, it was just me lonesome against all the Grimm. That was about the time your Goodwitch showed up. I'm grateful for her help, but I'm a bit pissed that she didn't show up sooner."

Coco nodded. There was one more part to this test of Trust. If Eagon was going to be part of her team, he needed to trust her completely. "I want to see the bag."

He flinched as if she had slapped him. "Please, Coco."

Her eyes narrowed. She'd come too far to back down. "Now, Eagon."

With a resigned sigh, he stood and lurched back to his bed. From beneath, he withdrew the large cloth bag and carried it back to the desk. "Just...don't touch 'em. I can't have anybody touchin' 'em. Only me."

With reverence, he undid the clasp and parted the opening before standing aside. Coco stood and moved to the bag. She peered within and gasped. "They're beautiful."

"Aye."

"Are they yours?"

He shook his head. "No, but I care for 'em. I tend to 'em and keep 'em clean. Maybe I'll pass 'em on one day, all but one. With any luck, I can give that one back."

Coco nodded. She heard him suck in a breath as she reached for the bag and sigh with relief as she gripped the clasp and closed it.

She lifted the bag and handed it back to him. "Thank you, Eagon. It's nice to know that you trust me as much as I trust you. A major part of working in team CFVE is trust. We trust each other to keep each other safe."

"Yeah, lass. I don't think ye needed to give me a heart attack for me to prove I trust ye."

"No," she conceded, "but I did need to know how far you trust me. It was obvious from day one that they were precious to you and they should be. A big part of the trust test is that my teammates allow me to handle what's most precious to them. With Velvet, it's her hair and her ears. She doesn't willingly allow anybody to touch them. When she took this same test, I asked her permission to brush her hair which would put my hands close to her ears. She fidgeted the entire time and nearly bolted twice. Once when I accidently pulled a knot, and once when I touched one of her ears. Despite all of that, she let me finish. Yatsuhashi let me clean his weapon. It was a family heirloom and he had a very specific way he cleaned it. It was a ritual with him. There was even a chant to go along with it. He instructed me in everything. How to sit, what to say, how to say it. What incense to burn and how to apply the oils. He supervised everything but didn't interfere."

"What about your Fox?"

"Fox's is very personal and I'm not entirely comfortable sharing it with you."

"Didn't ye just get done lecturin' me about the importance of trust?"

"Yes. Yes, I did, and at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I'm still not going to tell you. Fox trusts me to keep his secrets when he sees fit to reveal them and that is a bond I'll never break."

He nodded. "Alright. One final thing then." He took up his bottle of liquor and offered it to her. "If yer gonna lead me, I gotta know if ye can take the heat."

He had proven his trust in her. Now it was time to return the favor. She took the bottle and lifted it to her mouth. "You don't have anything I should know about do you?"

"Nah. Word to the wise, though. Take it slow. That's a bit stronger than what yer used to. It'll hurt like the devil."

"I'm not afraid of pain." She retorted before taking in a mouthful.

The effects were immediate. It felt as if her entire head had been set on fire. Her mouth and throat burned painfully while her face went completely numb. She just managed to swallow the drink before doubling over in a coughing fit.

She held the bottle out. "Take it!" She rasped, hoping that he heard her over his laughter.

He took the bottle back and she braced her hands against her knees. Tears flowed down her cheeks and her lungs burned as she continued to cough. Finally, as she caught her breath, she stood and panted. "What was that?"

"Whisky."

She shook her head. "No way. I've had whisky before. That's like murder in a bottle."

"Aye. Me tastes are a bit stronger than what ye'd find on a store shelf. I make it meself."

Coco groaned. "Ugh, please don't ever make me do that again."

He chuckled. "Don't worry, lass. Ye've proven yerself to me." He raised the bottle to her. "Cheers."

She picked up the remaining glass of Cognac and lifted it to him. "Ditto. Welcome to team CFVE."


	4. Chapter 4

"Now that you're a member of CFVE," Coco announced as she led Eagon out of the dorm, "I need to see what you can do so I'll know how to best use your talents."

"Makes sense." He agreed.

"So, what we're going to do today is a bit of a friendly spar. I don't want us to try to kill each other, but let's bring our A-game all the same. I want you to use the same tactics you'd use against Grimm."

"I figured."

"Now, don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl. I can sling this thing around for hours." She held up her handbag. "So I can take whatever you can throw at me."

"No offense, lass, but how can a tiny thing like you take Blackthorn full-on?"

Coco turned to him and cocked an eyebrow. "Really? We're going there?"

"What? I think it's a legitimate question."

She sucked her teeth and nodded. "Alright. We're going there." She set the bag on the ground between them. "Pick it up."

"Eh?" That confused him a bit. "Lass, I was taught that a Huntsman's weapon was like his...well...underthings. You don't simply touch them without very good reason."

"You have a good reason. I told you to pick it up."

Glancing at her with uncertainty, Eagon crouched down. "It's not going to explode or anythin' like that, yeah?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just pick up the damn bag and stop acting like a baby."

"Alright. Alright. Don't get yer knickers in a bunch." He grasped the handle and began to rise. His eyes sprang open when the bag didn't budge. Giving it a couple of good tugs, he stowed Blackthorn on his belt and wrapped both hands around the handle. His nostrils flared as, with a great deal of struggle and strain, he lifted her handbag. "Crikey, lass, what do ye keep in here? Yer family fortune in gold?"

She took the bag from him and, with a flick of her wrist, opened it. The bag began to unfold. The breech and assembly was the first thing to drop out, followed by the massive drum magazine. Finally, the six barrels of her cannon extended.

"Stars above." Eagon breathed.

"Caffeine fires high-penetration twenty by one hundred and two millimeter Dust cartridges at a rate of four thousand to six thousand rounds per minute, depending on how I set her. Her muzzle velocity is a blistering three thousand four hundred and fifty feet per second and she weighs in at three hundred pounds with her magazine." She said, lovingly caressing the assembly.

"And what in Remnant possessed ye to build such a monstrosity?"

"I think you said it best when you said: 'I only wanna kill something once'."

"Aye but how do ye lift that beast?"

"My semblance; momentum-based strength. The more momentum I have, the stronger I get."

"Alright, but that thing still weighs a ton and yer not the biggest lass I've ever seen. That's gotta be a trial to tote."

"I'll admit it's tough when I first get started but it gets easier with each move. I have to pick my melee attacks carefully. While I was still early in training, I got a little carried away and my swings got a little too wild. I ended up twisting wrong and injuring my back. I herniated a few disks and needed surgery to be able to even stand up." She patted the black armor around her waist. "My brace is the only thing that allows me to use my weapon now."

"Aye. Does it still hurt?"

"Sometimes. It's alright. The brace helps quite a bit and Fox gives the _best massages_." Her cheeks turned slightly pink and she cleared her throat. "But enough about that." She took a few steps back and folded Caffeine. "Let's see what the great and powerful Eagon Sullivan can do. Did you truly earn your position on my team or did I have a moment of weakness?"

Eagon grinned eagerly as he pulled Blackthorn from his belt and took his stance. "If I didn't then, I will now. Just do us a favor and avoid me tenders."

His stance caught her attention. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen. She expected him to take a position to easily block or dodge. Instead, his arms were at his side and he constantly shifted his weight. He looked almost - "Have you been drinking? I won't fight you if you're hammered."

"Nay, lass. I don't drink before I fight. It's bad form."

"But you look drunk."

"Looks can be deceivin'. Quit stallin' and let's get on with it!"

Coco stepped back, keeping her arm loose and letting Caffeine act as a pendulum. As Eagon charged her, she stepped forward with Caffeine, letting the weight carry her. She made contact with his torso but the blow glanced off and he quickly recovered, using Blackthorn to sweep her legs out from under her.

She rolled back to her feet and they paused again, studying each other. Her first blow should have knocked him back a bit but he just twisted with it. She couldn't tell if it was his aura or his form that was allowing him to deflect like he did. She was willing to bet that it was a bit of both.

He charged again, lifting Blackthorn for a high strike, but she twisted away and sent him tumbling with a blow to his back.

He rotated on his shoulder and brought his feet back under him but stayed crouched. They were taking it slow, studying each other's methods and probing for weaknesses. While the blow to his back had been solid, it still didn't seem to affect him much. That was most likely his semblance.

She tensed, expecting him to charge for a third time, but he seemed to be considering another tactic.

He began to move again, charging in from the left. She shifted to meet him. The moment he noticed, he shifted and advanced from the right. She turned to meet him again, preparing to swing. His eyes focused on her bag and he moved further to the right, rapidly advancing.

Committing to the attack, she followed his maneuver and swung, hitting only empty air. The moment he noticed that she had committed, he had shifted to the left and was now well-within her defenses. It was too late for her to counter and Caffeine's momentum pulled her forward as he brought Blackthorn up and made contact on her chest, knocking her into the air. She hit the ground, the impact driving the air from her lungs, and immediately rolled to dodge his second strike.

Blackthorn snapped down on empty stone as Coco brought her boot up and kicked Eagon in the jaw. That blow, like the first, glanced off but the impact was enough to knock him off balance and send him to the ground. She rolled back to her feet and unfolded Caffeine.

"Shit." He muttered a moment before a volley from her six barrels sent him for cover. "We're really playing like this?"

"I did say we're fighting as if we're in a combat situation." She replied.

"I'll make ye eat those words, lass." He promised as he popped back out and snapped Blackthorn's breech closed.

Her grin vanished from her face. "What are you doing?"

"Fightin' Grimm, love. Same as ye." There was a heavy thump as Blackthorn fired and Coco had only a moment's notice to dodge as the ground she had been standing on exploded, throwing dust and debris into the air.

She turned to Eagon but found the man had vanished yet again. He had used the distraction of the grenade to move again and she had lost track of him. She scrambled to her feet, keeping Caffeine at the ready as she scanned for him. In the silence of the courtyard, she could hear him moving but, every time she tried to track him, he'd vanish again. She smiled. He was good. While he lacked Fox's speed and Velvet's agility, his opportunistic method made up for it. The drunken manner was a feint. It had lulled her into false confidence. Now that he was playing for keeps, she saw what sort of mind lurked in him. His semblance and aggressive manner would make him excellent for drawing Grimm for the other three to pick off. His range and firepower would allow him to harass them from a distance and draw them directly to him. He stayed in motion and moved erratically, making him impossible to box in.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are." She sang.

From the cloud of dust he exploded. He had flanked her and caught her in a flying tackle. They tumbled across the ground as both Caffeine and her glasses were knocked away. He quickly straddled her as they halted, using his superior weight to pin her. She lifted a leg to kick him away but froze as she found herself staring down the barrel of a reloaded Blackthorn.

"Are you mad?" She hissed. "An explosion at this range will _kill_ you."

He leaned in, planting a hand by her head to support himself. "Semblance." He hissed.

x-x

Eagon had a team now. Granted, things were still rocky between him and Velvet but he had Coco and Fox on his side. While Fox hadn't given his expressed vote, he generally followed Coco's lead.

However, as he wandered the halls of Beacon, he was a man on a mission. The day before, Velvet had returned from her classes nearly in tears. While Coco worked to soothe her, it was revealed that a certain flat-topped cretin hadn't learned his lesson the first time. It seemed a remedial course was in order and it was a course Eagon was all-too-happy to give.

There were occasional distractions. His status as a member of team CFVE offered him a modicum of fame in the student body. While he himself hadn't really done much other than study, drink and visit Kennon, he had somehow managed to earn the title of _Supremely Badass_ simply through his association with CFVE. Despite past events, the students of Beacon still had a healthy amount of respect and admiration for Coco's charisma and leadership prowess. It was a shame that she couldn't see that.

He couldn't quite wrap his head around Coco. The girl was an excellent leader. She was strong. She was wise. She had this way about her that made people want to do as she commanded but she was still her own worst critic. He often heard her muttering to herself when she thought she was alone, constantly analyzing her decisions and second-guessing herself. It was enough to drive _him_ batty so he couldn't imagine what it was doing to her.

There was another problem for Eagon on top of Coco's issues and Velvet's bullies. Despite being under constant medical care for weeks, Kennon was showing no signs of improvement. Recently, the Colonel had dropped by to visit his son. It was the first time the two had been in the same room since the breach.

He tried to understand the Colonel's position. Kennon Cobalt was his son and the Colonel only wanted to do what was best for his boy. Unfortunately, he thought what was best was to take his son home to Atlas, where the family doctors could look after him. It was lucky that, at that time, it still wasn't safe to move him. However, the Colonel instructed the clinic's administration to alert him the moment his son woke.

All of this put Eagon in an especially foul mood and it was a mood that drink only fouled further. It was a bit of a blessing in disguise that Velvet's torment had not abated. He now had a target for his frustration and he intended to blow off a great deal of steam.

As he rounded a corner, his face split into a sadistic grin. There before him was the prick himself, who he had just learned was named "Cardin Winchester", and he was giving a smaller boy with blonde hair a hard time.

"Oi!" Eagon's stride lengthened as he marched for Winchester, who turned to the shout.

"What do ya want?" He replied with a sneer.

"I wanna know why ye insist on makin' an arse of yerself. Exactly what did Velvet do for ye to harass her like ye been?"

Winchester snorted. "She was born."

Eagon grabbed his head and slammed it into a doorpost, causing Winchester to clutch his ringing ears in pain. "Watch yer lip, boyo. I've beaten ye once, I'll beat ye again, and I'll keep beatin' ye until ye learn yer manners." He grabbed Winchester's head and forced him around. "Didn't yer mam ever teach ye not to pick on the other boys and girls?" He drove a fist into Winchester's stomach. "Can't say I blame her. I'm sure she did all she could." He grabbed Winchester's head again, gave the prick a knee to the face, and heard the satisfying crunch of cartilage. "She didn't know her boy would be such an imbecile." An uppercut snapped Winchester's head back. "Aye. Looks like I'll have to pick up where she left off." A final boot to the backside sent Winchester sprawling to the floor.

Eagon knelt beside him, gripped a fistful of heavily-gelled hair, and hissed into the boy's ear. "That's lesson two, mate. Keep up with yer shite, and you'll see lesson three. They only get harder and I've got a whole course planned. I suggest ye learn quick."

There was the sound of tearing behind him and Eagon turned to find the blonde boy pulling up the carpet. "Whatcha doin' there, lad?"

The boy pointed. "This carpet's a bit loose. Looks like he tripped and fell."

Eagon nodded. "Aye. He'd better watch his step from now on." He looked up at the assembly of students that had gathered to watch the fight. "Would one of ye mind helpin' me mate Cardin down to the infirmary so somebody could look at him?"

Nobody moved until a tall blonde girl raised her hand and stepped forward. "I'll do it."

"Thanks, love. What's yer name?"

"I'm Yang." She crouched down and began to pull Winchester to his feet. "Yang Xiao Long."

"I appreciate ye, Yang Xiao Long. If ye would, please, take him down to the infirmary and, if ye spot anybody from maintenance on the way, let 'em know about the carpet, aye?"

She nodded. "Sure thing." With only a small amount of effort, she tucked herself under Winchester's arm and began to pull him down the hall. They were only a few steps away when Yang threw her leg out, sending Winchester sprawling to the floor once again. "Ooops." She turned back to the group with an embarrassed smile. "I'm so clumsy." She picked Cardin up a second time. "I'll have to be more careful."

Eagon turned back to the blonde, who now had a muscular girl with deep red hair looking after him. "Ye alright, lad?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." He nodded and offered a hand. "I'm Juane Arc. I lead team JNPR."

Eagon took it in a grasp that only made Juane wince a little. "Eagon Sullivan of team CFVE."

"CFVE, huh? I didn't know they had another member yet."

"I just found out a few weeks ago meself."

"Anyway. Thanks for back there."

Eagon cocked his head. "Dunno what yer talkin' about, mate. All I saw was Winchester trippin' over that loose bit o' carpet there. Came right over to see if the lad was hurt."

Juane looked over his shoulder. "Uh, yeah. I meant thanks for helping him."

The red-headed girl scoffed.

Eagon turned to her. "Problem, lass?"

She met his gaze with a green-eyed glare. "Yes, I have a problem. I know Cardin Winchester is a bully but I can't condone anybody bullying him in turn."

"Pyrrha."

"No, Juane." She turned back to Eagon. "More violence is never the answer to violence."

Eagon pretended to consider her words before nodding. "Aye, lass. That's a nice philosophy. Pyrrha, was it? Tell me, Pyrrha, why was it that ye weren't movin' to stop him? Accordin' to me mate, Velvet, he's been up to this shite for a while. Ye've just confirmed it for me. Have ye tried to stop him before? A big, strong girl like ye coulda bawled him out, been all over him like flies on shite, and made enough noise that somebody'd notice."

"I don't need to bawl him out. I've defeated him and all of team CRDL in sparring matches."

His brow knitted. "Didn't ye just tell me that violence wasn't the answer to more violence?"

"That's different."

"How so?"

Pyrrha's mouth flapped as she tried to find a reason to justify her actions and condemn his.

"I thought so, lass. Listen, ye don't have to approve of what I'm doin'. I don't need yer permission. What I want is for Winchester to leave me mates alone. Soon as he does, I'll leave him alone. Simple as that. If it takes a few bumps and bruises to make sure that happens, then that's what it takes. Ye've got a point, might rarely makes right. However, I've got a message to get across and, unfortunately, Might is the only language some people speak. But ye know that already, aye?"

Without waiting for a response, Eagon left. He had nothing against Pyrrha but he found her views to be somewhat naive. It would be nice if everyone was nice. It would be great if everyone was reasonable. However, there were factions like the White Fang who sought to make everyone's lives as miserable as their own were. Eagon himself couldn't care less. The Faunus were okay so long as they didn't cause trouble. The same went for pure-blooded humans like himself and Winchester. He had too much to worry about as was without adding their nonsense to his plate.

Goodwitch's Combat and Tactics course was next on his list and Glydie hated it when her students were tardy. Besides, not only was Combat and Tactics one of his favorite studies, he could get no end of the fine and fiery woman who taught it. He knew he didn't have a snowball's chances in a fire storm with her but a man could dream.

As luck would have it, he was the first to class. He plopped down in the seat closest to the Professor's desk and gave her a fine Vacuo greeting. "G'Mornin', Professor. I was gonna bring ye an apple but I got a might peckish along the way."

"It's the thought that counts, Mister Sullivan." She replied, not looking up from her paperwork. "Perhaps you'll see fit to give us a display of the physical prowess I've heard so very much about today?"

"Ah, Professor. We both know none of the lads and lasses here would stand a chance against me."

"On the contrary, I heard you and Miss Adel managed to get into quite the scuffle in the courtyard the other day."

He scoffed. "Coco's just curious about what I could do so I decided to fill her in on the secret."

"As it so happens, we have a dueling arena for just such a purpose. You're sitting in it right now, as a matter of fact. Try to bear it in mind should Miss Adel, or any other student for that matter, become curious about what you could do again."

"Aye, Professor. I'll keep it in mind."

"And another thing." She looked up and focused a frigid glare on him. "If Mister Winchester 'trips on the carpet' again, I'll toss your ass out of here in ten seconds and forget you forever in the next five."

His face split into a broad grin. She was on to him. He had underestimated his Glyndie. "Aye, Professor. I'll see to it that he watches his step from now on."

"I'd really rather you'd keep away from him." She replied.

His grin widened. "Aye, Professor. I'll give him a wide berth, mark me words."

Goodwitch didn't look amused. "See that you do."

x-x

"We should open a pub."

Coco glanced up at Eagon, who had been staring off into space. "A pub?"

He took a drink from his whisky before answering. "Aye. Y'know, one of those places where people go to drink and eat and socialize."

"Why would we do that?"

He shrugged. "Dunno, so we could eat and drink and socialize."

"Eagon, we're training to be Huntsmen and Huntresses. We don't have time to socialize."

"See, I disagree. I think a pub for Huntsmen and Huntresses would be a good idea. A place to trade tricks and info, brag about kills and whatnot. Somethin' to look forward to after long roads. We could line the walls with mounted heads, competition trophies, and weapon replicas. Hell, we could even have famous Huntsmen and Huntresses sign the walls or somethin'."

"Do you hear yourself?" Coco asked, setting down her pen. "'Sign the walls'? Who does that?"

"I bet you would if the invitation was extended."

She scoffed. "You're ridiculous."

"C'mon, lass. Consider it at least. We'd keep it stocked with all of our favorite drinks and have the best food around."

"Yeah, but I can't cook. Can you?"

Eagon shrugged. "A bit, yeah. It's not very good though. Me mate, Kennon, can cook. He's one of the best I know. He's not as good as me mam but, then again, I don't think any cook is better than mam."

"Your mom's that good?"

"Any mam, not just mine. Nothin's better than mam's cookin'."

"I can't say I disagree there but I still don't think we'd have time to run a pub." She reclined back in her bed. "It's a nice dream but we have other priorities. The grace period is over. CFVE is a team of four again. Velvet's made a decent recovery. We all have. We'll be taking missions again very soon."


	5. Chapter 5

Four beige backpacks with the insignia of Beacon Academy sat open on each of the four beds, being packed for the upcoming mission. CFVE would be receiving rations from the depot before leaving along with water purification tablets, medical kits, and charge packs. Anything else, the team provided for themselves.

Eagon was very organized in how he packed. It was a leftover habit from his time at militaristic Atlas Academy that he had kept for the sake of convenience. The day before, he and the rest of his team had stopped by _From Dust Til Dawn_ , a little Dust shop just down the street from the school, to pick up cartridges and shells for their weapons Two boxes of shells for Blackthorn were tucked away in Eagon's pack with a third box of shells emptied into his belt pack. The bandoliers that made up Coco's belt and Caffeine's strap were full and Fox had four full magazines on him.

"We'll be walking the entire way so let's minimize weight and use ammo sparingly." Coco advised. "We won't be going far but we'll need to be thorough so it's going to take some time."

"How much are we requisitioning?" Velvet asked.

"A few days worth of rations each plus headlamps and a lantern."

"No campfires?" Eagon turned, hoping to catch an annoyed look on Coco's face. He wasn't disappointed.

"We're going into the tunnels beneath Vale. Where would we find wood?"

He faked disappointment. "And here I was hopin' we'd sing 'Kumbayah'."

Coco sneered and let out a half-hearted mocking laugh. "Oh, you're hilarious. This is _only_ the first real test of our abilities since…" She glanced at Velvet. "...since you joined us. I'd hoped you'd take it a little more seriously."

"Aye. I am bein' serious. It's just a mop-up operation. I've been on dozens."

"Then I hope you know to remain sober."

He turned a suspicious glare on her, set down his pack, and quietly crossed the room. "Private word?" Without waiting for a reply, he led her out into the corridor and shut the door behind them. Leaning against the wall, he let out a sigh? "What is yer issue?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Oh, come off it, Coco. I've been here for, what, two months now? We've lived together that long. Ye know that I might crack jokes and I might drink a bit much, but I'm reliable. Not once have I let ye down when ye've needed me. Same goes for Velvet and Fox. All of the sudden, yer tossin' barbs like Velvet used to. C'mon now, lass, what's got ye?"

She leaned against the opposite wall and crossed her arms. "This is the first mission I've led since Yatsuhashi's death and I'd be lying if I said I'm not nervous. I guess I have been unnecessarily hard on you, just a bit, so…I'm sorry."

"Aye, lass. No harm; no foul." He gave her a companionable clap on the shoulder and opened the door for her. "Don't worry all, we've sorted it all out." He assured Fox and Velvet before quietly returning to his packing. From the corner of his eye, he saw Fox cross to Coco and lean close to her.

He couldn't hear the man's question but the response was clear. "No, nothing. I was giving him a hard time and he called me out on it. That's all."

Fox cast a glare that had just a bit of jealousy in it at Eagon before returning to his own tasks, shoving things into his bag with a bit more force than necessary. Velvet gave Fox a wary glance, her brow knitting in confusion, before she returned her attention to her own tasks.

In short order, they were ready to leave. Each member of CFVE swiped out of Beacon, registering their status with the system so the instructors wouldn't mark them as absent while they were away. An airship was waiting on the docks on Beacon Cliff, ready to whisk them into the city. Once there, a crew would be ready to open one of the maintenance hatches and allow them to enter.

The flight out was very brief, taking only a few minutes, and silent. Velvet was obsessively checking her armor and Dust. Coco stood at one of the bay doors, looking out over the city, and Fox was glaring at Eagon, who had chosen to not notice.

Because of the special nature of their work, the airship was allowed to land in the city, rather than at the nearest landing pad. From there, it was only a short walk to the hatch they would enter the tunnels through. The pair of waiting workmen gave the group a once-over before unsealing the barrier.

"I do not envy you kids in the slightest." One of them warned. "We've been hearing strange noises down there for weeks."

"Thanks for the warning." Coco replied with a wave of her hand. "We'll be sure to take it slow."

"Yeah, you do that, sweetheart." The other quipped. "I'd hate to be the one who goes down there to pick up the pieces."

The man's off-color attempt at a joke made Coco flinch slightly. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be bad." She muttered before disappearing through the entrance. The other two followed silently while Eagon paused for a moment and turned his attention to the one who made the unfunny comment.

"Listen here, lad. I'll let ye in on a bit of a secret. This hasn't been the best few months for me team. Matter of fact, I'd say they've been downright tragic so, when we come back, I expect to see ye here with an apology for her. Otherwise, I'll be havin' words with yer supervisor, aye?"

The unfunny one was, thankfully, intelligent enough to catch the meaning behind Eagon's warning and paled considerably. "Er...yeah. Yeah, I...shit, man."

Eagon nodded and vanished through the entrance, dropping the last few feet into the cool darkness. With a metallic groan, the door above them shut and locked.

"What kept you?" Velvet asked.

"Eh, quick word for me mates up there to watch the door and be ready when we come back."

Three headlamps were donned and dim red light flooded the tunnel. The lights swept the expanse of the tunnel, looking for any Grimm that might be lurking by the door. Designed for low-light work, the red lamps maintained their night vision while providing sufficient illumination to avoid obstacles.

Coco turned to her team and gave a small gasp. "Velvet, I swear those eyes of yours freak me out every time."

"I'm sorry." Velvet whimpered as her ears drooped.

Eagon had noticed the flicker every time the Faunus' eyes moved, the lens behind her eyes reflecting the light and making her look very much like a Grimm.

Coco waved away her concern. "Don't worry about it. I should be used to them by now." She pulled out her scroll and held it out for all to see. "We're going to be following the main tunnel here, clearing out rooms as we go. There are dozens of tiny passages and rooms that we'll be checking along the way. I'll be marking each cleared area as we move along so we can find our way back easily. That being said, it's ridiculously easy to get lost in here so stay with the group. If you need to break off for a piss or whatever, let me know. We'll all stop, take five, and keep going. Sing out if you spot Grimm but don't try to tackle them alone. I'd rather risk overkill than risk losing another teammate. We'll stop here," she pointed at a red dot on the map, "and make camp later. I know it's a bit chilly but we're going to be down here a couple of days so I suggest you get used to it. Any-," a low growl reverberated from the darkness, cutting Coco off.

"First customer." Fox softly pointed out.

"Beowulf," Velvet reported. "It's small. I only see the one."

"The rest of the pack won't be too far. We need to stay quiet if we don't want to be overwhelmed." Coco looked back at Fox. "Take him out. Make it quick."

He charged for the Beowulf, blowing past the rest of the team. With a backflip, he kicked the beast in the chin, forcing its belly out. Fox sprang forward, his blades a blur as he slashed into the exposed underside. With a final, savage uppercut, he opened the Beowulf's throat and, with a wet gurgle, the Grimm sank to the ground.

The team froze, ears straining, for any sound of approaching monsters but, aside from the death rattle of the Beowulf, it was completely silent.

"Velvet?"

The Faunus' eyes scanned the darkness beyond the red lights. "Nothing."

Eagon let out a breath he didn't realize he had be holding. "I hope the rest of them go down this quick. We'll be back by lunch tomorrow."

"I heard tacos were on the menu."

"I like tacos."

Coco called for their attention. "We need to move quickly and quietly. Remember to stay with the group and don't engage Grimm unless you're with the group. Any questions?" She let out an annoyed groan as she spotted Eagon, who had raised his hand. "Yes?"

"Could ye take off yer shades, Coco? Ye look like a bit of a muppet."

"A what?"

"An idiot, lass. It's dark down here. I don't think ye need worry about the sun gettin' in yer eyes."

Coco nodded and removed her sunglasses, tucking them away safely in her pack. "Sorry. I wear them so much that I honestly forgot I had them on." She turned back to the empty tunnel and took a deep breath. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

The tunnel was wide enough for the team to walk shoulder-to-shoulder as they advanced. They halted at every sound and shifted to defensive positions. Fox had Coco's back and Eagon covered Velvet. Headlamps were doused so as not to interfere with Velvet's night vision and everyone went silent as she strained her ears. Finally, when the all clear was given, they advanced more.

Grimm contacts were sporadic. Those that had been in the tunnel during the breach had cleared out while the ones that remained had wandered in and taken up residence during the following months.

Coco popped another maintenance hatch, the fifth since they began, and carefully peered in. No growling reached her ears and she couldn't see any bright eyes glaring back so she pushed the door wide and stepped inside. It was a tiny alcove, barely big enough for two men and used by workers to keep clear of passing trains. Exiting again, she shut the door behind her. Velvet had managed to wander a little further ahead of the group than Coco cared for. A quick whistle called the Faunus back. Eagon had stuck his head into one hole and she could hear him poking about with Blackthorn. His inspection complete, he pulled his head out and gave her a confident grin and a thumbs-up, signalling another all-clear.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and found Fox standing next to her, shooting a defiant glare at the Vacuoian. Fox had been taking every opportunity to touch her and had consistently kept an eye on Eagon, making her wonder if something had occurred between the two.

She reached up and patted his chest. "You okay?"

"Fine," came the terse reply.

"Look at me." She reached up and grabbed his chin, forcing him to face her. "Tell me what is wrong."

He refused to meet her eyes. "Nothing."

Her lips gave an involuntary twitch. "You're lying to me, Fox Alistair. I don't like being lied to." With a huff, she released him. "We don't need this right now. Whatever's bothering you, we'll discuss it when we get back to the school. For now, keep your head on the mission. And, Fox," she turned back to her teammate, "if you lie to me again, you _will_ regret it."

She strode away from Fox, her mind buzzing. He was a private person and she had always respected that. While there were things he hadn't told her, he had never outright lied to her. She felt her hand tighten on Caffeine's handle. Never before had she been so angry. If she couldn't trust the member of CFVE that she was closest to, what chance of success did they have?

She paused and leaned against a wall. It hurt that Fox didn't trust her enough to loop her in on what was bothering him. She crouched down and rested her face in her hands. Everything was going wrong.

"You okay?"

Coco looked up to find Velvet standing over her, mouth creased in a worried frown. She reached down and helped Coco stand. "Yeah. It's just...Fox is acting really strange around Eagon, very possessive."

Velvet shrugged. "Maybe he's jealous."

Coco blinked. "Jealous? Please, I've never given him a reason to be jealous and Eagon's already said he's not interested in me."

"That's not what I'm seeing. You and he have been bonding quite a bit, spending time alone, drinking together."

"So what? Am I out of line for wanting to get to know my team? It's kinda hard to work with somebody if you don't know them."

"I agree but you've been neglecting Fox at the same time. It's hard not to imagine what's going on between you and Eagon."

Coco glanced back at Fox, who was sipping from his canteen while poking about in another maintenance hatch. "Is that it, Velvet? Does he think I'm seeing somebody on the side?"

"I couldn't say. I'm not him but I do know that you and he need to have a serious talk about this the first chance you get."

Coco let out a growl and kicked a loose bit of concrete. "Why did he have to start acting like this _now_?"

"Boys, am I right? Can't live with them. Can't live without them."

"Speak for yourself. I'm tempted to kick both of their asses to the curb." Coco turned to Velvet with a sly smile. "Say, have you ever had sex with another woman?"

The Faunus let out a squeak as her eyes went wide and a bright blush crept up her face. "W-well, I-I-I haven't really tried a-anything like that b-but I-I don't really th-think that's something I'd be interested in."

Coco's voice took on a low sultry tone. "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it, cutie." She let out a throaty laugh. Velvet had the most brilliant blush and was too easy to fluster. She let out a sigh, feeling slightly better as she pulled her scroll from her belt and got back to business. "It's getting late and we're near the cave-in point. Let's go ahead and make camp for the night."

Velvet was hiding her burning face in her hands but nodded vigorously at the suggestion. Coco called the other two over and gave her instructions. "We're camping in there tonight." She pointed to the nearby door to a workman's office and handed off her pack. "Eagon, you and Velvet get us set up. Fox and I are going to secure the perimeter." She reached over and grabbed a fistful of her lover's shirt. "C'mon, you."

Coco all but dragged Fox a few meters from the door before stopping and taking a perch on a raised platform and patting the space next to her. He sat down and patiently waited for her to speak.

She took a few minutes to gather her thoughts. "You lied to me, Fox. You lied to me and that hurt. You know how highly I value trust, so why would you lie to me?"

He stared silently at the other wall.

"Hello? That was not a rhetorical question, I expect a response."

And she was disappointed. Fox simply continued to act as if she hadn't spoken.

"Fine, then. I'm going to take a stab in the dark here and say whatever's bothering you has something to do with how much time Eagon and I have been spending together."

From the corner of her eye, she caught Fox's startled flinch.

"Mhmm, I thought so. I'm going to take another stab and say that your imagination and emotions have been getting ahead of your better judgement."

"Yeah." He finally responded.

She lifted one of his arms and tucked herself beneath it. "I'm sorry I haven't been paying as much attention to you as I should be. Assessing Eagon and helping Velvet has taken a lot of my time and energy and I've been having some doubts of my own. A lot of what's been happening recently has made me question my leadership skills."

Fox leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her brow.

She giggled and nuzzled his chest. "Thanks. It's good to know you have faith in me." She stayed that way for a few moments before speaking again. "Listen, I'm not going to leave you unless you give me a _very_ good reason. There are a lot of things that demand my attention, Fox, but I'm going to try and make time for you. I promise."

He leaned down and nuzzled her, a gesture she returned with gratitude. Life had been difficult over the past few months. Velvet's depression and Fox's distance had left her seemingly alone, grasping at what few chances she had at keeping her team together. Eagon's arrival had only complicated things further but his aggression had been beneficial. He made obvious what she had missed, both in herself and in the team. He pushed Coco to be a better leader by challenging her authority. She was forced to correct her mistakes lest he pointed them out and made her look like a fool.

His aggressive nature forced Velvet to start fighting back. He refused to allow her the chance to use her depression as an excuse to withdraw from life. Each push only made her push back harder until she found herself on her feet again.

He'd managed to activate that ancient male instinct in apathetic Fox. By unintentionally challenging Fox's claim to Coco, he had forced Fox to assert his status and display how much he cared for his woman.

Coco slid down from her perch and gave Fox's hand a tug. "C'mon, it's late and we have a lot to do tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."

He followed her to the office that was their camp for the evening. The packs were neatly stacked against the far wall and the sleeping pallets surrounded the bright lantern. The harsh light of the lantern bleached the color from Velvet's and Eagon's faces and the shadows over their cheeks and around their eyes made them look like skulls.

Coco set Caffeine by her bag and joined the other two while Fox perched on a desk, pulled a cloth from his pocket, and began to clean his blades.

Eagon leaned over to Coco. "Everythin' alright?"

She spared a glance at Fox, who was busy with his weapon, before replying. "I think so."

Velvet handed a ration pack to Coco. "How are we doing watches tonight?"

"I haven't decided." She replied. "I think two hours each, perhaps, so everybody can get six hours even. That will leave us rested and give us time to finish up and, hopefully, get out of here a little earlier than expected." Coco felt better. The first day of the mission had gone flawlessly with everybody sticking to her plan and playing their roles. She was confident that tomorrow would go just as smoothly.

She unclasped her brace and stretched her back. There were times that she hated wearing the damn thing, even if it allowed her to be a Huntress. She had to keep it tight around her waist and it chafed often. Pulling off her boots, she reached down to massage her sore feet.

"Can't understand why ye wear heels for this much walkin', lass." Eagon pointed out, looking down at his own scuffed, filthy, and well-worn work boots. "Everybody else's got the right idea, ye ask me. Fightin's tough work but there's nothin' sayin' ye can't add a bit o' comfort where ye can."

"My boots are comfortable." She objected.

"Really? 'Cause the way yer workin' yer paws there makes me believe otherwise. On the other hand, we've got miss bunny here who runs about in her stockings."

Velvet raised one foot to show the tough treaded underside of her shoe. "They only look like stockings. I have to minimize how much weight there is around my feet and maximize how much flexing they can do. That's what let's me move so fast. Anything more than this and I start to slow down."

"Fair 'nuff." He replied. "But how do ye protect the tops of yer feet, eh?"

Velvet grinned. "Move too quickly for them to hit me, that's how."

Eagon shrugged. "Still, it seems to me that Fox and I are the only ones that dress sensibly 'round here. Ain't that right, mate?"

Fox grunted in response, still carefully cleaning and sharpening his blades.

"See, he agrees with me."

"Don't worry about us, Eagon. Velvet and I are big girls and can take care of our own needs, thanks." Coco pointed out, pulling off her sweater and revealing her plain undershirt. It was a bit too chilly and damp to be undressing so much in the tunnels but she hated the thought of damaging her favorite sweater in her sleep.

"Yer gonna take it all off and give us a show, aye?"

Coco paused and glared at Eagon. From the corner of her eye, she saw his comment had gotten Fox's attention as well. "Just for that, you get first watch."


	6. Chapter 6

Sitting silently and staring at a wall was not high on Eagon's list of favorite things. In fact, he would be lying if he said it was on the list at all. But he fancied himself the dependable sort and, despite the incredible pressure of boredom, he continued. Nearby, the others slept around the lantern, its bright light turned down to a faint glow enough to light the way of anybody who might be moving about.

He sighed and slouched back in his chair, wanting a drink and nothing more. He had already cleaned Blackthorn several times and now found himself pressed for something, anything, to do. His gaze wandered over to Velvet. The sleeping Faunus was curled up on her side with her back toward him. As much as she vexed him, she had earned quite a bit of his respect. Despite suffering the years of abuse and torment that her heritage brought her, she still managed to push through. She was a resilient little bunny. She was destined for bigger things than being a punching bag for small-minded fools and she knew it.

"The way you're staring at her is really creepy."

Eagon started and turned to find Coco standing behind him. "Damn ye, lass, don't sneak up on a man when he's thinkin'."

"Oh, you were thinking, huh? I thought I smelled smoke."

"Barrel o' laughs, ye are." He gestured at Velvet. "How long have ye known her? Two years?"

"I guess you could say we've known each other longer. We attended Sanctum together but we were never really what you'd consider friends. I only spoke to her a few times and she never really said much back. She was always really shy and was bullied a lot."

"Ye never stood up for her?"

She shrugged. "I always thought that I'd be a social outcast if I did." She glared as Eagon let out a snort. "What do you want from me? I was a kid. I'm not proud of what I did and I'm even kind of ashamed that I never had her back but, hell, she's a Faunus and that was something you didn't do back then. People who defended Faunus rights were ostracized." Coco hung her head and her shoulders slumped. "Hell, even I pushed her around once or twice and, what's worse, I didn't think anything of it. It was just something people did." She glanced at Velvet and gave a bitter chuckle. "It's stupid, really. Tormenting some poor girl who's only crime was being born different. Disgusting. But, back then, I would have done anything to fit in. Nothing scared me more than being alone. Still scares me now, as a matter of fact."

For all of his lack of social grace and general apathy towards the opinions others had of him, he could read a person as well as anybody else. Coco was dying to vent, so he sat back and silently waited for her to continue.

"After Yatsuhashi died, I had managed to convince myself that it was only a matter of time before I was going to be asked to step down as leader of Team CFVE or, even worse, expelled from Beacon altogether." She began to pace as nervous energy built in her. "My parents have these huge dreams of their daughter being a world-famous Huntress. I would be the first in my family to do such a thing and they've romanticized it. I mean, they are so invested in this that I could see the headlines in their eyes. 'Coco Adel, Master Huntress, single-handedly saves town of defenseless orphans, kittens, and puppies from certain doom.'"

Eagon snorted again. He noticed Velvet roll over, open her eyes, and sit up without any trace of grogginess.

"Ridiculous, I know." Coco continued. "You should have seen them the day I was accepted to Beacon. Their daughter was going to attend _the_ most prestigious Huntsman academy in Remnant. I'm sure they're still celebrating. That's why I was so terrified of being expelled. That's why I'm still terrified of being expelled. I didn't know how they would react to find out that I had smashed all of those dreams in one stupid move." She reach up and nervously ran a hand through her hair. "I was so sure they'd throw me out and I'd have to sell my body to survive or I'd die in the streets or get picked off by a Beowulf. I know that's incredibly unlikely but that fear is still there. I want this mission to go right so badly but I'm so scared that I'll make a bad call and somebody will get hurt. Or worse."

Eagon nodded. "Aye. I can see yer worries there. This bein' me first mission with Beacon and this bein' me last chance to make somethin' of meself, I can relate. But, Coco, I don't know how many time I've got to tell ye. We believe ye've got what it takes to lead this team. All that's left is for ye to believe the same. Isn't that right, Bunny?"

Coco spun and found Velvet standing right behind her. "I thought you were asleep."

Velvet shook her head and gently pulled at her right ear. "I heard everything. Both a blessing and a curse, these are." She took a deep breath. "I remember Sanctum. I remember everything that happened there. I remember what you did."

Coco wilted slightly. "Velvet...I-"

The Faunus pulled her into a tight embrace. "Just in case I haven't made it clear enough, I forgive you. I forgave you a long time ago. You've changed. You're doing better now."

"Bullshit. Even after I found out you were being bullied here, I didn't stand up for you."

"And I don't hold that against you. You have enough on your plate without having to take care of my problems. Besides, I need to start standing up for myself if I'm going to get any respect around here."

"I respect ye." Eagon pointed out.

Velvet stuck her tongue out at him. "You don't count. You barely respect yourself." She returned her attention to Coco. "Just promise me one thing."

"What that?"

"Don't make me sleep on any more concrete floors." She whined.

Coco chuckled. "I'll do my best to keep that promise."

"As grand as all of this lovey-dovey stuff is," Eagon interrupted, "it's late and I've had a long day. Coco, if ye could come and relieve me so I can catch me zee's..."

Coco stomped her foot. "Dammit, Eagon. Do you have to ruin everything?"

"Aye." He replied dryly.

She sighed and broke the embrace with Velvet. "Go back to bed. You've got final watch." She turned and made her way to Eagon's chair. "You." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Fuck off." As he made his way past her, she grabbed his arm. "One more thing: Thanks."

He patted her shoulder. "Don't mention it, lass. I'm just pointing out the obvious. I don't allow meself to be led by fools."

X-x

Eagon took a swallow from his water bottle. "What's the plan, Bosslady?"

Coco jammed her protein bar between her teeth and pulled out her scroll. "Well, we're only a short distance from the designated collapse point and we didn't see any Grimm last night. I think we took care of the last of them yesterday." She growled around her breakfast. "Still, we need to take it slowly and be thorough. I'd rather take two days to do a thorough job than take one day to do a shit one."

"Aye, as decent a plan as any."

"Glad I have you're approval." She responded dryly. "In case we come across any Grimm, I want you to run interference for the rest of the team. Try and keep their attention and keep them off of us. Your Semblance gives you a better chance against them than any of us would have. Velvet and I will keep back and deal the damage. Fox, you'll take out any that make it past Eagon before they get to Velvet and I. Everybody clear?" After a series of affirmatives, she continued. "When we get to the collapse point, I want both Eagon and Velvet to start blasting the ceiling and walls, starting at the peak and working downward at one-meter increments. We need to be really careful about this bit because we don't want to get caught in the collapse. The terrain around the tunnel is mostly soft soil and limestone so collapsing it should be quick and easy. Just keep your distance and be ready to move when the tunnel begins to go. Any questions?"

"Aye." Eagon raised his hand. "How exactly to ye intend to have Bunny blow the tunnel? I mean," He turned to Velvet. "What is yer weapon?"

With a grin, Velvet revealed her camera. "Show me your weapon."

Without taking his eyes from her, Eagon reached for his belt buckle.

"Not that one!" She cried. "The other one. Blackthorn."

He frowned. "Alright, but it's not as impressive as me other weapon." He lifted Blackthorn up and held it before him. "What now?"

Velvet sighted through the camera's viewfinder. "Hold it steady." The camera flashed.

Eagon blinked rapidly, trying to clear the after-flash out of his eyes. "Alright. Now what?"

Velvet stood and held out a hand. Blue lines extended from the box seated in the small of her back and traced the shape of her very own Blackthorn.

"Crikey." He glared at the weapon, eyes narrowed as he inspected its contours. "That's her alright. That's me Blackthorn." He raised his own weapon. "That's some pretty fancy trickery there, lass, but it's one thing to have the weapon. Let's see if ye know how to use her."

"Go easy on her." Coco warned. "She's a glass cannon."

Velvet turned a ferocious glare on her leader.

"Oh, don't try to deny it. Your attacks are exceptional and your ability to dodge is peerless but you can't take a hit to save your life. I'd rather he not put you in the hospital because he thought you could take a heavier blow than you're capable of. Hell, he knocked _me_ around with that thing."

With a snort, Velvet charged Eagon, who blocked her first blow. She kicked high and he ducked under, spinning to build momentum. He hooked Blackthorn against her belt and used it to pull her from her feet. She tumbled across the ground but managed to regain her stance, turning to face him again.

"Yer a nimble little bunny, ain't ye? Let's see what other tricks ye know."

Coco clapped her hands. "Alright, that's enough. If the two of you want to spar, we'll set something up when we get back to the school but this is neither the time nor the place. We've got more important things to do."

With a wave of her hand, Velvet's Blackthorn vanished. "She's right. We've got a mission." She walked back to her bag.

"What was that?"

She turned to look back at Eagon. "What was what?"

"That thing on yer back. Just at yer belt."

She reached behind her. "It's my weapon box. It can copy any weapon I see used as well as any relevant techniques. It helps me use my Semblance of memorization to its maximum effect."

"I figured that bit, Bunny, but I was talkin' 'bout the white thing."

A blush spread over her cheeks. "It's...ah...it's a tail." She said softly.

"A what now? Didn't quite catch that."

"I have a tail!"

Eagon blinked. "Ye mean like a wee rabbit tail? Give us a look."

"No. I'm not showing you my ass." Velvet grabbed her belt and jerked her pants a little higher up on her hips. "I don't want you spreading word that I have a tail, either. The last thing I need is Cardin Winchester having another reason to give me grief, especially if he sees it as an excuse to cop a feel."

"You know that if Cardin, or anybody, decides to give you grief, you just need to come to me, right?"

Velvet crossed her arms and sighed. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, but I can handle Winchester myself."

"Easy, Velvet. He's just trying to help." Coco softly urged.

"I know. But I meant what I said last night. If I want any respect, then I need to start standing up for myself."

Eagon nodded. "Aye, Bunny. But if ye bite off more than ye can chew, ye know where to find me."

"Alright" Coco nodded and picked up her weapon. "It's cold, damp, and filthy in here. Let's get moving and get this over with before anybody catches pneumonia."

Gathering their packs, CFVE moved out. The tunnels hummed softly as air moved through it, creating a strange echoing howl, putting everyone's hair on end. Coco extended Caffeine and hung back with Velvet while Eagon and Fox took the lead, checking every drain pipe, every corner, every nook, and every cranny.

"What's this?"

Coco looked to find a long strand of something dangling from the ceiling. She reached up and grasped it. "It's sticky."

"That's what she said." Eagon responded.

Coco glared at him. "Shut up. This is serious." She tugged on it. "It's fairly strong. Almost like spider silk."

Everybody froze.

"Do ye think one could be in here?"

Coco shuddered. "I hope not. They're disgusting."

"Ye've never struck me as an arachnophobe."

"I hate them. They have too many legs and they...dart."

Eagon cocked an eyebrow. "Dart?"

"Yeah. You see them then they take off and you never see them again."

"Until they crawl onto your face…"

"Eagon, stop."

"Into your mouth."

"Knock it off! I'm serious!"

"Feel their little legs as they work their way down your throat."

With a flick of her wrist, Coco folded Caffeine and swung, connecting with Eagon's head. The blow sent him tumbling across the tunnel and into the opposite wall.

With a grunt, he sat up and shook his head. "Aye. I probably deserved that."

Coco panted heavily. "Ya think?" She pointed a warning finger at him. "Don't. Fuck. With. Me." With another flick, she extended Caffeine and pointed it down the tunnel. "If there is a Weaver down here, we're going to need to be super careful."

Eagon grunted. "Aye. Terrible rascals, those. Let's get this over and done with."

The group picked up the pace, eager to blow the tunnel and be gone before any more unpleasant surprises revealed themselves. As they went deeper into the tunnel, the strands of web increased in number.

"Really not liking this, guys." Velvet whispered.

"Agreed." Fox rumbled, using his blades to slice through the webbing.

"It's not far now, guys." Coco pushed some strands aside with the barrel of Caffeine. "Let's just stay on our toes. Watch the ceiling and the walls. This thing could be anywhere."

"The webs get thicker further down." Eagon observed. "It's possible that its lair is further down. We might be able to collapse the tunnel with it on the far side."

"And if it isn't?" Velvet asked.

"I don't want to think about it." Said Coco.

"Big Grimm and no exit." Fox grumbled.

"Didn't I just say I didn't want to think about it?"

Fox gave her an apologetic look.

Coco lifted a hand from her weapon and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Let's just...let's just get this over with."

"Coco's gettin' bothered by the creepy-crawly."

"Eagon, I swear if you don't shut up, I'm going to hit you so hard your children will inherit the bruises."

The Vacuoian was wisely silent as they continued on, Coco keeping one eye on her scroll while constantly scanning for movement. Fox and Velvet kept ahead of them, cutting away strands of web. Eagon noticed the massive blade that the Faunus wielded. Despite its size, she seemed to manage it quite well, balancing and countering the broad strokes.

Coco took notice. "That's her version of _Genmaicha_ , Yatsuhashi's blade. I've noticed she's been using it more and more in practice."

"Probably a way of keeping him with her." Eagon observed. "She's not bad with it."

"Not bad, no, but it doesn't suit her style of combat. She's more of a quick fighter rather than a heavy striker like he was." Her scroll beeped. "We're here."

"Where else would we be?" Eagon asked.

"You know what I mean." She called the other two back. "Fox, fall back and cover our rear. Velvet, you go up a few meters with Eagon. Soon as I give my signal, you'll both start blowing the tunnel. Focus your shots at the apex of the arch before bringing them down to halfway. I want shots every meter." She paused and gave the ceiling another glance. "When the White Fang came through, they really weakened the entire structure so it could start to go at any moment. When that happens, rush back and we'll retreat. Got it?"

Eagon saluted. "Aye. We'll do ye proud, Coco." He nudged Velvet. "C'mon, Bunny, let's go make a mess."

"I've noticed that's something you do well and don't call me 'Bunny'. I hate that nickname." She groused.

"Ah, now I know to call ye that every day."

"Please don't." Velvet summoned her _Blackthorn_ clone.

"Oh, no, Bunny. Since it annoys ye, I'm gonna call ye that as much as possible."

"I've asked politely."

"Aye, that ye did." He responded, popping a shell into _Blackthorn_. "But that ain't gonna stop me." He raised his weapon and fired directly into the ceiling. The report and subsequent explosion blended together and caused their ears to ring.

"I was hoping you'd be mature about this." Velvet shouted, firing at a steep angle.

"That'll tell ye somethin' about me, yeah?" He reloaded and mimicked her shot.

"Yeah. It tells me you're a childish little bastard." She responded, firing again.

"Aye."

"It also makes me think that you secretly like me."

"It's no secret, lass. In case ye missed it, I gave ye a great big hug and promised to have yer back whenever ye needed me. I'd do the same for Coco and Fox." He paused a moment and thought. "Though I'd probably skip the huggy bit for Fox."

"That's not what I meant. You know how little boys always annoy girls that they like."

Eagon chuckled and stepped back to start on the next portion of tunnel. "Bunny, ye're not me type. Ye're just too timid to keep up with me. It's not yer fault, just yer nature. I like ye like a little sister. I see ye as someone to teach and protect."

"That's sweet of you but I can handle myself."

"Aye, because yer troubles with Winchester are a perfect example."

"I've been dealing with that."

"No, ye've been runnin' and hidin' each time he gives ye grief. Start fightin' back, Bunny. Make a comment about his stupid hair or his stupid voice or his stupid armor." Eagon shrugged. "Ye could always haul off and hit 'im."

The ceiling began to crack and sag under their barrage.

"A few more should do it." Velvet observed. "Let's be ready to move."

"Aye." He agreed. "Fact o' the matter is, Bunny, there are some battles ye can't fight on yer own. Isn't that why we have teams?"

"I suppose so, but this is one bully, not a pack of Grimm."

"Yer missin' me point. If this one bully is givin' ye grief, ye need to step up and tell him to knock it off."

"I've already tried that."

"Then ye need to make him knock it off. And if the professors get on yer case, tell them about the abuse ye've suffered at his hands and ask why they never saw fit to do anything about it. That school's got cameras, I've seen 'em. They can't not know what this fella's been up to."

She let out a sigh. "My mom always told me to ignore bullies. If they see they're not getting to you, they'll get bored and go away."

He shook his head. "That never works, least not in my experience. They get their own jollies just by knowin' they're makin' ye miserable and ye're not gonna do a damn thing about it." He loaded a final shell into _Blackthorn_ and took careful aim. "One more should do it."

She followed his trajectory. "We've already hit that spot."

"Aye, but I'm willin' to bet that's the weakest point in the entire structure right now. One more solid blast should bring the whole thing down." He glanced over at her. "Ye should get clear. If this goes bad, I could probably withstand the collapse. You, not so much."

She snorted. "Typical macho-male crap. You're always spouting it off, just like he did."

"Like who?"

"Yatsuhashi." She threw her shoulders back, puffed out her chest, and spoke in an exaggerated bass voice. "You do not need to worry, little one. I will protect you. It is my duty as a man to protect little ones like you." Her shoulders slumped and her ears wilted. "I really wish he hadn't felt that way."

Eagon pulled her into a one-armed embrace. "Aye, lass, but wishin' ain't gonna bring him back. Best to move on and enjoy life. Yer too young and pretty to spend the rest of yer days depressed." Releasing her, he swung and swatted her backside. "Now, less mopin' and more movin'."

He fired the final shot and, with a thunderous roar, the tunnel began to quickly collapse. They both hurried to get clear of the falling debris, covering their heads as they ran. Dust filled the air, blinding and choking them but they managed to make it to safety as the last chunk of concrete clattered to the ground behind them.

Velvet coughed and spat. "Well, that was exciting. There's nothing like staring in the face of death to get your blood moving."

"Aye, but I prefer another type of excitement." Eagon doubled over, bracing his hands against his knees as he panted. "Still, the job's over and we're alive. I'd call that a success."

A low hissing roar echoed down the tunnels, coming from some point between them and the exit.

"I think you spoke too soon." Velvet whimpered.

"Aye, looks like our luck's run out."


	7. Chapter 7

Eagon spun to Coco. "Alright, Fearless Leader, what's our exit strategy?"

Caffeine rattled slightly as Coco trembled. Her wide eyes darted wildly as she searched for any sign of the Weaver.

"Er, Coco?" Velvet reached out and grasped Coco's arm. The moment they touched, Coco spun, breaking away and leveling Caffeine at Velvet, who instinctively threw up her hands and ducked.

"Easy, Coco, easy!" Eagon cried, shoving Caffeine's barrels in a safer direction.

Her head swiveled and her eyes rolled as she began to back away from them, towards the mountain of debris that blocked the tunnel.

"What's wrong with her?" Velvet asked.

"Can't say for sure but I think the prospect of being trapped between a Grimm and a hard place has her a wee bit overwhelmed." He slung his pack off of his shoulders and began to dig through it, muttering to himself. He patted the ammunition pouch at his belt, let out a quiet curse, and continued to rifle through his pack.

"What is it?"

"Can't find any more shells." He stood and slung his pack back onto his shoulders. "Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant. I'm out of ammo, Coco's chickened out, and we've got a massive spider bearing down on us. Could this day get any bloody better?"

"At least it's not-"

Velvet jumped as Eagon rounded on her. " _Don't_ _you dare_!" He roared. "The way this day's been goin', we'll have Ursi with jetpacks comin' up from the ground if ye say anythin' more." He let out a whistle, calling Fox back to the group, before turning to Coco. "If ye can speak, lass, I'll hear yer words."

Coco continued to shake and stare down the tunnel.

"Great!" Eagon whistled out, calling Fox back. "Best we stick together. The damn thing will be tough as all hell to take apart." He turned back to Velvet. "Ye got anything else in that magic box of yers?"

Velvet spread her hands and a glowing wireframe form of Caffeine appeared. "Hers can't pierce armor, neither can mine. The only feature my weapons have over the originals is unlimited ammunition."

"That'll prove useful." Eagon turned as Fox came trotting up. "Yer girlfriends frozen up on us. Ye've got any way to snap her out of it?"

He hurried over to Coco and began to check her, reassuring her with quiet words and gentle touches. Eagon returned his attention to Velvet. "We need to act now, lass. If Fox can't get Coco back up and runnin', Yer gonna have to take point." He paused and thought about it a moment. "Matter of fact, ye've got the best vision and hearin' o' the lot of us." He turned back to Fox. "Any luck?"

He shook his head. "Seen her like this before. On full automatic. She'll follow orders. Nothing else."

Eagon nodded. "Alright. Ye stay with her and protect her. Velvet, ye move ahead of the group and kill anythin' that moves." He pulled Caffeine away from an unresisting Coco and took notice of the disapproving glower from Fox. "She ain't gonna use it, me ammo's cleared out, and Velvet can't hold that thing by herself. I'll give it back as soon we're done. Promise."

He stared down at the weapon in his hands. "Alright, how does she work this thing?"

"You've got to press the lever at the top of the grip." Velvet instructed.

"Like this?" With a metallic whine, the six barrels began to spin.

"Now, squeeze the trigger. Caffeine can't be aimed. It's too heavy and the muzzle-flashes are too bright. Just point it at your target and fire in short bursts. Sustained fire will risk melting the barrels."

Eagon nodded and hefted the weapon. "Crikey, how the hell does she lift this?" Straining with the weight of the gun, he waddled forward and stood with Velvet. "Let's go murder us some crawlies."

The group advanced. Velvet's ears were perfectly erect, quivering as she strained for every tiny sound. Behind them, Fox guided Coco with an arm around her waist. Carefully, they wove their way around strands of spider silk. Eagon brought up the rear with a distinctive crab-like waddle, keeping his eyes on the ceiling.

"Anythin', Bunny?"

"No. Nothing." Velvet shuddered as a strand of spider silk brushed along her shoulder. "Do you think, maybe, it's gone away?"

"That'll be nice, aye, but I don't want to get our hopes up, given the way our luck's been goin'."

"I thought Vacuoian luck was supposed to be good."

Eagon chuckled quietly. "Aye, ye and everybody who ain't Vacuoian. Truth be told, the sayin' refers to our traditional bad luck."

Velvet gave a nervous giggle. "This isn't really helping my anxiety."

"I'm not one to give false comfort, lass. Especially when people's lives are on the line."

From the ceiling above them, a rattling hiss echoed, startling Velvet, who fired a burst in the direction of the noise. Eagon hurried to join her, covering Coco and Fox. Fox, for his part, pushed his girlfriend the floor in an effort to keep her out of the way.

Eight glowing red eyes emerged from the shadows as the Weaver advanced. Caffeine whined as her barrels spun up. Eagon braced himself as he pointed the massive weapon at the Grimm and let loose a volley. The recoil of the gun made the shots go wild and he fought to compensate, trying to keep on target. Velvet seemed to be a better shot with her Caffeine clone and, between both of their efforts, the Weaver vanished in a cloud of dust and debris.

Eagon and Velvet parted slightly, each scanning a different part of the tunnel, hoping to catch the monster's next advance. They could hear it shuffling about above them but it had yet to reveal itself a second time.

"Steady, Bunny." Eagon called out. "I dunna think this crawly's gonna let us past without one hell of a fight."

"I can see why Coco hates these things. That was fucking disgusting."

"Bunny, I think that's the first time I've ever heard ye swear. Have I been havin' a bad influence on ye?"

"My potty-mouth is more Coco's fault than yours if that makes you feel any better."

"It didn't hurt me feelin's at all, lass. I was just makin' an observation."

With a heavy thud, the massive Weaver dropped from the ceiling and charged.

"Light 'er up!" Eagon commanded, opening up on the monster. Velvet followed suit. The combined might of their firepower shredded the walls and ceiling of the tunnel. Eagon took notice of the damage and nodded to Velvet. "I'll keep 'er busy. I want ye to fire a shot or two into the ceiling."

"What?!" Velvet exclaimed. "Are you trying to bring the entire tunnel down on us?"

"Not on us, on it. We'll need to move like an army of Grimm are on our tail if we want to survive this but we should be fine." He turned to Fox and nodded to Coco. "Grab her. We're gonna make a break for it."

Velvet's Caffeine clone vanished as another grenade launcher-style of weapon appeared. She took aim at the ceiling and prepared herself.

Time seemed to slow as Eagon took in their surroundings. The Grimm only occupied a small portion of the tunnel. To either side of the Grimm, there were clear paths. If they moved quickly, they could dodge the falling debris and the monster.

"Now!" He cried.

The low thud of Velvet's shots mixed with the rattle of Caffeine as the group advanced. Velvet chose a path to the left of the monster, pivoting as she fired. Fox charged to the right with a limp Coco over his shoulder. Eagon waddled as fast as he could and nearly stumbled twice as Caffeine's recoil disrupted his balance. Despite all of this, he managed to make it through as massive slabs of concrete mixed with dirt and stone showered from the roof in a thunderous roar. Dust billowed around him and chunks of stone bounced off of his body as he lowered his head and ran for everything he was worth, still struggling with Coco's Caffeine.

Emerging from the dust, he rejoined his team on the far side of the second mountain of debris, shaking dust from his hair and clothes. He turned and leveled Caffeine again, pointing into the still dissipating cloud of dust.

As the dust settled, he could see a single trembling leg poking out of the mountain of concrete and dirt. Eagon settled in, preparing to open fire again if the Weaver managed to break out of its stony tomb.

The leg quivered and twitched before finally collapsing, breaking away from the body as it did. There was a collective sigh of relief and Eagon set Caffeine down, turning to a still senseless Coco.

"Alright, _Fearless_ Leader, the man-eating spider's been swatted. Ye can join us in reality again."

Fox shot another unamused glare over his shoulder as he continued to try to rouse her. Eagon straddled her and reached down, snaking his arm past Fox to give Coco's cheek a sharp slap.

Immediately, pain exploded from his nether regions. Reflexively, he curled into a defensive posture and toppled over onto the cold floor, uttering expletives mixed with groans. Fox's uncontrollable laughter echoed through the tunnel as Coco got to her feet and strode over to Eagon.

Snatching Caffeine up, she folded it and crouched down. "Don't you _dare_ touch my weapon again. Am I clear?"

"Crystal." Eagon groaned.

"Wonderful." She shot a look over to the mountain of debris that covered the Weaver. "Did you manage that?"

Coughing, Eagon struggled to his feet. "Combination of me and Bunny. Would've been a lot easier if ye'd helped a bit."

Coco had the grace to look guilty. "Yeah, sorry about that. I don't get on well with giant spiders."

"Aye. I've noticed. We managed alright so no harm, no foul." He stood fully erect and adjusted his pack. "Right. I've been sober for nearly forty-eight hours so far. That won't do at all. Let's get back to Beacon and toast a successful mission.

X-X-X-X

The bright sunlight caused the members of team CFVE to wince as they emerged from the dark tunnels. The workmen from the day before met them, including the one who had made the offensive joke. He quickly apologized to Coco for his words and she, in turn, gave a distracted wave of acknowledgement before following the rest of the group.

There was an airship that ran between the school and the city every hour on the hour and it was only a short wait before CFVE could board. Velvet began to doze almost immediately, her head settling on to Eagon's shoulder as she relaxed. Coco took a seat next to Fox who settled a supportive arm around her shoulders. Eagon noticed she looked paler than usual and her downcast eyes spoke of her dark thoughts.

"Ye alright, lass?"

She started again, as if she had forgotten he was there, before giving a strained smile and a nod. "I'm fine." The smile vanished as quickly as it had sprouted and she returned her gaze to the floor. Eagon settled back, desperately wanting a stiff drink and a nap but other things had crossed his mind. He had heard stories of how Coco had taken charge during the breach of Vale and mowed down any Grimm that tried to stand against her. Velvet's tales of her leader's prowess on the field had sounded like the epic tales of the old gods. However, what he had seen today flew in the face of all of that. The way she had frozen up had place doubts in his mind, not about her capacity for leadership but about her confidence in herself.

The ride on the airship wasn't long and they reached Beacon in silence. With a gentle shake, Eagon awoke Velvet who had drooled a bit, he noticed. They disembarked and began the short walk back to their dorms.

Velvet stretched. "I desperately want a hot shower and a long nap." She yawned.

"Aye, a nap sounds good right about now." Eagon agreed. "After a stiff drink or four."

Fox's stomach gave a rumble. "Food," he mumbled.

Returning to the dorm, Fox put his weapons away before leaving again to search for food. Velvet wandered into the bathroom, stripping away her armor as she went and leaving Eagon and Coco alone.

As soon as he heard the water start, he grabbed Coco by the shoulders and gave her a solid shake. "What the bloody hell was that?"

Coco paled considerably. "What do you mean?"

Back there, in the tunnels. Ye froze up and completely shut down."

"I don't like spiders." She responded defensively.

"Tough shit, lass. We could've been killed out there. Yer little break down could have cost us all our lives."

"I _get it_!" Coco screamed, breaking free of Eagon's grasp and retreating to the other side of the room. "I get it. I fucked up. I could have gotten everybody killed and, if it hadn't been for you, we'd all be dead. I don't need a fucking reminder." She took a few breaths to calm herself before speaking again. "You're obviously the better leader for the team. Everybody responds well to your commands and you keep a calm head in combat. I don't have what it takes. Today made that obvious. Tomorrow...Tomorrow I'll recommend that you replace me as leader of CFVE and I'll resign. I'm done."

A heavy silence reigned before Eagon broke it. "No."

Coco spun. "What?"

"I said no. Ye don't get to break away that easily, lass. Ye don't get to give up. Ozpin named ye the leader and that's a role ye've gotta fulfill."

"I'm not the right one for the job." She objected.

"And ye think I am? Here's the long and short of it, lass. Ye ain't perfect and nobody expects ye to be. Nobody, that is, except ye and if ye keep up expectin' more from yerself than ye can give, yer gonna be disappointed each time. The sooner ye see that, the better off we'll all be." Eagon sighed heavily. "I get what ye're goin' through. If it was anythin' like mine, it's tough, I know. Ye're wonderin' why ye're the one who managed to walk away. Ye made the call and he paid the price. Now, ye're terrified of makin' the wrong call again. I get it. Unfortunately, ye don't get to be that way! Yer team comes first, above everythin' else. Yer doubts come second to the needs of the team. I shouldn't have to tell ye that." His face took on a pained look and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now I've got a headache. I'm going for a walk unless ye need me for anythin' else."

Coco shook her head. "Be sure to fill out and turn in your After-Action Report to me before lights out."

"Aye". Eagon turned and headed out the door. It had been a while since he had gone to see Kennon and seeing his old teammate never failed to cheer him up. The school was fairly empty. This late in the evening, most of the students would be in the dining hall for their evening meal. Eagon wasn't particularly hungry. His latest confrontation with the ever-infuriating Coco Adel had left a sour taste in his mouth and ruined his appetite. He couldn't understand how the supposed leader of one of the best second-year teams and a celebrity in her own right could be so dense and spineless.

As he crossed the courtyard, he noticed a distinctive shock of auburn hair over a pair of blue aviators. He angled towards the stranger with intent to investigate. On approach, he noticed the tattered Atlasian military jacket and khakis. His grin grew ever wider as he noticed what this stranger was up to, in particular, chatting up a pretty young thing.

Circling around the far side of the bench the two occupied, Eagon leaned against the backrest on the nearer side of the stranger.

"All I'm sayin' is that I've just woken up, in hospital, in a city I know nothin' about, and there's no one here to guide this lost little lamb."

The girl gave a sympathetic coo. He always did have a way with women that Eagon never understood.

"Before ye get too involved, ye should ask him about those warts on his shame."

Startled, they both turned toward Eagon, a look of recognition was immediately replaced with one of annoyance. Eagon simply grinned in response. The girl, on the other hand, seemed less concerned about this newcomer and more concerned about the information he provided. "Wait, what warts?"

"He's full of shite, he is." Kennon objected.

"Some sort of disease, as I understand it. Painful and embarrassing, aye?"

"The only thing painful and embarrassing about any of this is ye."

"Kennon, what's he talking about?"

"It's nothin', lass. I told ye he's full of shite."

"Great warts, look like little cauliflowers that they've gotta cut away with a laser."

The poor girl looked like she'd had enough. Eagon decided it was time to go in for the kill. "Completely incurable."

And with that, she was gone.

Kennon turned to Eagon with a cross look. "Brilliant. I nearly had her. Some wingman ye are."

Eagon made a show of rolling his eyes. "Please, that lost little lamb line only works on worthless lassies. Ye'll thank me later."

"I'll thank ye now to bugger off, ye mankey git." Kennon stood and pulled Eagon into a tight embrace. "How're ye, mate?"

Returning the embrace, Eagon laughed. "What a time it's been. Had a nice sleep, ye lazy arse?"

"Eh, I could've gone for another month or two." Kennon looked about. "Where the bloody hell are we? Where's Wolfie and Silas?"

Eagon's jovial expression shifted. A shift which didn't go unnoticed. "Bloody hell, you're kidding."

"Wish I was, mate. I don't think they suffered though, if it's any consolation."

Kennon shook his head. "Little consolation. What the bloody hell happened?"

"Ye don't remember?"

"I remember there bein' a bloody lot of Grimm."

"Aye, that's an understatement. We got our arses handed to us."

Kennon let out a series of oaths loud enough to draw the attention of several passerby. Eagon stood quietly by, patiently waiting for his friend's fury to run its course. Kennon wasn't one to keep a temper and his tantrums were usually over in less than a minute.

When he had finally quieted down, Eagon spoke up. "I know it's got ye upset, mate, but there wasn't a bloody thing ye could've done about it, especially since yer head was in a wall in all."

"Ain't that. Ye know how me semblence works."

"Aye...Oh."

"Aye. I saw it. Bits and pieces, at least. I didn't think much of it cause I figured I had time. Maybe if I waited a little longer, I'd know more and might be able to do somethin' about it."

"There wasn't no stoppin' it, mate. We were doomed the moment those Grimm started sproutin' up like daisies. There's no doubt there."

"Shite, mate, if I'd have known about it, I wouldn't have pushed Wolfie to sign us up for the games."

"Wolfie would have signed us up anyway. Notice he didn't take a lot of convincin', did he. Long and short of it, semblance or no, there wasn't a damned thing ye could've done about it."

"Fuck, then why do I feel so fuckin' guilty, then."

"Same reason I do. We survived when everythin' else said we should be floatin' about with them. That's all it is, mate. Only thing that'll help with that is time and not thinkin' too hard on it. C'mon, I managed to rescue the one Scotch bottle in your pack that survived. Let's go make sure it lives to its full-potential, aye?"

Kennon nodded and began to limp along with him, "Aye. So ye stayed for me?"

"Well, I couldn't let ye alone in another kingdom to smear Atlas' good name further. Somebody's gotta be around to keep ye in check."

Kennon snorted. "Keep me in check? Not bloody likely. At any rate, I'm awake now and we can head back to Atlas with our tails between our legs."

Eagon laughed. "Wouldn't be team WSKE without the walk of shame, aye? Bit more complicated that that, mate. I've left Atlas."

"Left Atlas? What for?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't head back bein' the only member of WSKE. Bad memories, mate."

"Aye. I guess I can follow that. What are ye doin' here, then?"

"I've enrolled at Beacon."

"Oh, Beacon, aye? What possessed ye to apply there?"

"Headmaster asked me actually."

"Asked ye? What'd ya blackmail him with?"

"I don't think I could have if I tried, mate. I was completely pissed when it happened. All I know is he walked in, we had a nice chat, he offered me an open slot, and I enrolled."

"I'll be damned. Ye weren't kiddin'."

"Aye. Got me a new team and everythin'."

"A new team? What was wrong with WSKE?"

"Nothin' aside from the fact that two are dead and one was in a coma and unresponsive. Ozpin hooked me up with a great set, though. This lot's tough and all of them are powerhouses."

"Ye sound like yer in love."

"No team will replace WSKE but this lot comes damn close. Damn close."

"I imagine Ironwood wasn't pleased to be rid of ye."

"Please. I'll bet ye a season's crop he danced a jig when he found out we weren't comin' back. Two for not havin' to go through the trouble of chuckin' us out himself."

"We weren't that bad."

"Aye? What school were ye at again? We managed to set Black Hall on fire."

"We put the flames out."

"We made them worse!"

"Perhaps. Though we did learn an important lesson that day."

"Don't try to douse a building fire with explosives and alcohol?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time but that wasn't what I was talkin' about. We learned what teamwork could do."

"Aye, it did take all of us to convince Winter that the whole thing was an accident."

"Damn it, Eagon, that's not what I meant either. If it wasn't for you bein' able to go in and kick start the fire valves with Silas and Wolfie working to hack down the walls and my own Freeze castin' that fire could have been a lot worse."

"Ain't that the truth. Ye ought to think about enrollin' here. I've heard the buildin's are fireproof."

"I dunno, mate. I'll need to go back to Atlas and have a talk with Da' and Ironwood. I ain't seen Cernunnos since the battle so I'll need to forge a new weapon."

"Nah. I've got Cernunnos. I've been takin' care of 'er."

"Really, mate?"

"Aye. Picked 'er up just after the battle. She's up in the dorms, safe and sound."

With a massive grin, Kennon punched him in the shoulder. "Well, what the bloody hell are we waitin' on, mate. Let's go get me best girl."


	8. Chapter 8

Sitting cross-legged on her bed, Coco sipped a cognac while reading over her Grimm Studies textbook and taking notes on the weaknesses of the Weaver. Since her freeze-up in the tunnels, she wanted to understand her enemy all the better and the best place to start was in her textbook.

As much as she loved fashion, her outfits were assembled for style, not comfort. As such, she had stripped most of her clothes away and sat in only her panties and a shirt she had stolen from Fox.

She heard the door open with a rattle of the knob and spouted a greeting without looking up from her book. "Fox, I need you to quiz me on this, if you would."

"I'm sure he would, lass, if he were here."

Her head snapped up, noticing the two men standing across from her. Startled, she tried to snatch her bed sheets around her bare legs but succeeded only in overbalancing herself and falling gracelessly to the floor. "Eagon, damn it, would you fucking knock before coming in?"

"Didn't think I had to knock before enterin' me own dorm."

"It's common courtesy. I could have been naked."

"And why would ye be that way in a room ye share with three others? I understand ye're shaggin' one and the other ain't got nothin' ye don't but ye ought to know by now that I'm always stalkin' about, up to some mischief or another. So if I happen to walk in while ye're trottin' about in yer birthday suit, that's on ye, lass. On that note, ye ought to put a bra on, we've got a guest."

The stranger quickly crossed the room, offering a hand as Coco untangled her legs. "Can I help you up, miss?"

She favored him with a charming smile as he pulled her to her feet. "Thank you. It's nice to know _some_ people were raised with good manners and a sense of decency."

"Ye snore too loud for me to give ye any manners a proper woman deserves."

"I do _not_ snore. Wait. What do you mean 'proper woman'?"

"If it ain't snorin, that's a damn fine impression of a cargo truck's engine brake ye got goin' on there and don't get me started on yer trumpet practice in the middle of the night."

Coco gasped and her face reddened. She tried to hide it by ducking down and digging for her pants. "Eagon, we have company!" She hissed.

"Oh, don't mind me. I'm used to his antics. Half the time, I encouraged them."

She turned to the stranger. "Are you Kennon Cobalt?"

"Aye. That's what it says on my library card and you are…?"

"Coco Adel." She buckled her belt and extended a hand. "I lead team CFVE. Sorry about the state of things. We've just returned from a mission, which I would have canceled if Eagon had been so kind as to inform us that you were awake and paying us a visit."

"Just found out meself, lass." Eagon responded, digging around beneath his bed.

"Don't blame the lad. I only woke up a few hours ago."

Coco blinked. "Shouldn't you still be in the hospital then?"

"Bah! I've had enough time layin' on my back. I needed to get out there and find out what became of my team."

Coco bit her lower lip. "I heard about that. Sorry."

"I'm not going to pretend that it doesn't bother me but that's what being a Huntsman is all about, aye? If I wanted a safe job, I'd have gone into accounting."

"No ye wouldn't have. Yer shite with numbers."

"Better than you. The only thing you can count is shots of whiskey and you've yet to make it past five."

"Not true. I can count to six now."

"Stars above, we've got a proper genius on our hands now. Maybe you'll make it through _See Spot Run_ next, aye?"

"Don't get your hopes up. That courtyard is paved with the bones of people waiting for Eagon to make it through _See Spot Run_."

"Says the girl who practices her trumpet while everyone else is asleep."

"See what I mean? We're sitting here, making fun of his intelligence or lack thereof and the best he can do is toilet humor, thus proving our point."

"Aye, that's our Eagon alright. Not the brightest bulb but you'll find no better mate for a brawl."

The object of their ridicule let out a whistle and presented an ornately-decorated scabbard. The exposed sword hilt was no less ornate. Gold wire wrapped around the length of the grip between the antler-bone crossguard and the pommel, both of which were steel-lined, glistening, and covered in intricate designs and glyphs.

"There she is!" Kennon cried as he nearly charged Eagon, snatching his prize from his friend's hands. "Daddy's home, lovely." He began to draw the sword from the scabbard. "How's my lovely gi-" His voice broke off as he took in the blade. Even Coco had to wince sympathetically at the state of the stained, rusted, and pitted metal. She hadn't seen the sword outside of the scabbard but, if the two well-maintained axes were any indication, Eagon had completely neglected this once gorgeous sword.

"Took good care of her, aye?" Kennon growled.

"Look, mate, if you'll just give me a moment, I can explain."

"Safe and sound? Weren't those yer _exact_ words?!" He flailed the blade in Eagon's face. "If this is how you treat my weapon, knowin' you'd give it back, I'd hate the see the states of Silas' and Wolfie's." He reached a hand into the bag and removed one of the small axes, the pristine metal practically glowing in the fading sunlight. "Bloody hell. I don't think even Silas put this much work into maintaining his gear. You've got thirty seconds to explain yourself."

"I couldn't do it."

"Couldn't do what? Sharpen a blade? Oil metal? Clearly that's shite!"

"I couldn't let go! I took care of their weapons because they can't anymore. If I started putting that same care into Cernunnos, I'd be givin' up hope of seein' any of me old mates again. I'd be the last of WSKE."

Kennon's anger left him in a sigh as he visibly deflated. He rolled the blade in his hands as he tried to put words to the thoughts and emotions visible on his face and in his body. "I suppose I should count my blessings, aye?" He said finally. "She ain't been melted down for scrap. She ain't rustin' in some dumpster somewhere. It'll take a bit of work but I can salvage her. Definitely have to recarve some of the glyphs. A lot of the glyphs."

"I'll help where I can." Eagon offered.

"Nah. I'll take care of it. Besides, you couldn't carve glyphs even if your life depended on it."

"Aye, but I can hammer iron."

"Cernunnos ain't a plow, farmboy. She's a blade. She needs special steel, special attention. Thanks for the offer but I'll tend to her myself." He slid the sword home in the scabbard. "A project for another day. Right now, I need my Scotch, some decent food in my belly, and some good stories. We've got lots to talk on, mate."

"Aye, I can help there. Should still be time enough for a late supper down in the dining hall."

Kennon gestured. "Lead the way."

"Ye comin', Coco?"

She shook her head. "Nah. I'm going to keep up with my studying but, if you see Fox, send him my way. Don't forget about that After-Action Report. I've got to carry them up to Ozpin first thing in the morning."

"Aye, lass. I'll have it done before I say me goodnights."

Closing the door behind him, Eagon led Kennon down to the bank of elevators.

"She's a fine woman, lad."

"Aye, that she is but she's spoken for and her other half tends toward the jealous type. Best not let him catch you makin' eyes."

"Thanks for the heads-up, hate to sound like a whining wendy but is this dining hall far? My legs are starting to be a bother."

"Not really, mate. At any rate, it'll do yer legs some good to give 'em a good stretch after lyin' on yer back for the last few months."

"The grub here any good?"

"Better than the rations at Atlas. I swear I've gained ten pounds since arriving. How Beacon doesn't turn out the fattest Huntsmen, I'll never know."

"How's the training?"

"Rigorous, to say the least. Ye perform in exams. Ye perform in the arena. Then, maybe, they'll set ye loose on the world but the classes are a good show. I've got this one History professor. Oobleck is his name. Can't understand a word out of the man's mouth, he speaks so fast. And with a lisp, too. I tell ye, mate, he really needs to switch to decaf or, one of these days, his heart is gonna pop."

"Is that even possible?"

"I dunno but if it can happen to anyone, it'll be Oobleck. We've got this other professor: Goodwitch. A little spitfire, she is. What I wouldn't give to get to know her better."

"That nice, eh?"

"Nice doesn't cover it, lad. She's the only one here who can keep up with me mouth."

"That must be nice, havin' a professor that plays along rather than the Sergeant-Instructors that just made us do P.T."

"Aye, but she's no pushover, Glyndie. She's already threatened to toss me out on me ear."

"Oh? What for?"

"Beatin' the snot out of this wee knob-head named Cardin. Little bugger keeps bullyin' me teammates. Racist prick if there ever was one."

"Racist?"

"Aye. Hates the Faunus and me Velvet's one."

"Like Wolfie?"

"Sort of. She's a bunny. Got the long ears and the wee tail and everythin'. But don't spread that around."

"Don't worry, lad. I know how some people can be. Damn shame, though."

Eagon pushed the door to the dining hall open. "I've been tryin' to encourage the poor thing to stand up for herself but I haven't made much progress."

"What do you expect? It'll take more than one push to get her in the right direction and they've got to come from more than one person." The two sat across the table from each other and began to serve themselves. Kennon was showing all of the enthusiasm of someone who hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Better take it easy, mate." Eagon warned, pointing the leg of a roasted chicken at Kennon's plate. "I can understand yer gusto but ye've been livin' off of I.V. drips for the recent past. Yer body might not be ready for this rich stuff. Might want to slow down."

"Tell that to my stomach." Kennon said around a mouthful of mashed potato. "I've only had military food. This is like a bloody feast." He looked over Eagon's shoulder as something caught his eye.

"Ye'll make yerself sick eatin' all of this now. Best take it slow. There'll be more here tomorrow."

"You said your Velvet's got bunny ears, right?"

"I did."

"Long brown hair?"

"Aye."

Kennon pointed with his fork. "That her?"

Turning, Eagon spotted Velvet several tables down in a heated argument with Winchester. "Aye."

"And I take it that other fellow is this Cardin?"

"The same."

They were too far to hear what was being said but, if her body language and facial expressions were any indication, Velvet was furious. Her shoulders were tense and her hands were balled into fists. Eagon started to rise.

Without warning, Velvet drove a fist into Cardin Winchester's chin, knocking the larger student to the floor before falling on top of him.

"There she goes!" Eagon cried, jumping up from his seat and racing to his teammate. He climbed over several crowded tables before reaching the Faunus, who was beating the tar out of Winchester and calling him every foul name she could think of.

Eagon wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off of him. "Alright, bunny, I think ye've got yer point across." He did his best to dodge the girl's flailing arms but she still managed to land a couple of weak blows. "Stop that before ye hurt yerself."

Cardin pushed himself to his feet and gave his head a shake. Returning his attention to Velvet, he pointed a finger and opened his mouth.

"Best take off, lad, before I turn her loose on ye again and, this time, I'll join her. Ye deserve nothin' less."

"Keep a leash on your pet before I call Animal Control."

Velvet let out a ferocious shriek of rage and lunged at Winchester, forcing Eagon to adjust his grip. "Pay him no mind, bunny. Ye'll only get yerself in hot water if ye keep carryin' on like this."

Panting, Velvet finally settled down. Glaring at Winchester, she spat on the floor between them and stalked out of the building. Eagon watched her go before turning to Winchester and seizing the lapels of his blazer in an iron grip. "Let me tell ye somethin', lad. I don't care for the way yer treatin' me teammates. I don't care if ye love or hate the faunus but yer gonna leave all of us alone. If I catch ye botherin' her again, consequences be damned, I'll cut yer cock off and make ye eat it. So it's best all around if ye bugger off. Get a hobby. Get a girlfriend. I don't care if ye sit and spin on a damn fence post just leave me and me mates _alone_!" He shoved Winchester away and marched back to his seat, his blood boiling and his appetite ruined.

Kennon shook his head. "Same old Eagon. Always starting nonsense."

"Ye saw what he was doin'."

"I did and I saw your cute friend handle it herself. Seems your lessons in growing a spine actually paid off after all."

"I won't have some knob-head push me mates about like he owns the place."

"Aye, but didn't you just get done telling me about how this was your last opportunity to make something of yourself? Seems a shame to just throw all of that away over some bully."

"So what? I should just stand by with me thumb up me arse?"

"No. No. I'm saying you should let the faculty do their jobs and handle this. There will come a day when our friend Mister Winchester missteps and that will be the day they throw him out. While they're doing that, you can sit in a window and wave as he trudges by. Meantime, I'd suggest you go and make sure your teammate is okay. I've got to look into some place to stay tonight."

"Bollocks to that, mate. Yer stayin' in CFVE's dorm tonight. Ye can take me bed."

"I appreciate that but don't you think the staff would take issue with some stranger crashing in the student dorms?"

"If they do, tell them they can take it up with me."

"I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, I need some time to myself. Thanks all the same but I'll find an inn and give Dad a call." He stood and let out a loud belch. Giving his slightly distended stomach a few gentle pats, he commented. "Good food. See you tomorrow."

Eagon raised his glass. "Cheers."

x-x

Velvet woke from a dead sleep. Her hand was a bit swollen from when she had struck Cardin. She had been slightly anxious that she would be in trouble with her professors but, insofar, nobody had come to her. It seemed she had dodged a bullet and silently vowed never to lose her temper like that again.

The room was mostly dark, save the light of a desk lamp illuminating the space behind her. A quiet metallic rasping sound reached her ears, punctuated by the occasional light thump. She strained her ears, trying to assess the situation. A quick glance at her alarm clock revealed that the hour was very late, much later than it had any right to be, and she wondered who would be awake and active.

"And back through the glen, I rode again, and my heart with grief was sore."

She recognized the slightly slurred voice as Eagon's. While intoxicated was not an unusual state for him to be in, he was usually asleep before midnight.

"For I parted then with valiant men, whom I never will see no more."

She recognized the song. It was an old song her father had sung whenever he dove into a bottle. A song about a young man who had watched his friends march to war, never to return.

"But to and fro, in my dreams I go, and I kneel and pray for _you_."

She rolled over, fixing bleary eyes on him as he sat at his desk with an open bottle of pungent whiskey, running a whetstone along the bladed head of a harpoon.

"For slavery fled, oh glorious dead, when ye fell in the foggy dew."

"Eagon?"

Startled, his eyes snapped to her. "Aye. Sorry lass. I didn't mean to wake ye."

"What do you have there?"

He beckoned her closer. With a soft groan, she slipped out of her warm bed, circling around and taking a seat on his. He was inspecting the head of the harpoon as well as he could in his drunken state. The polished metal glinted in the light and she could see glyphs and markings in the steel.

"I saw ye this evenin'. Down in the Dinin' hall."

She vaguely recalled someone pulling her off of Cardin and allowing him to retreat. "That was you?"

"Aye. Figured ye wouldn't appreciate me takin' yer prey away but figured ye'd appreciate gettin' kicked out a lot less."

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was just trying to eat and he came over, calling me all sorts of names and pushing me. I tried to ignore him but then he grabbed one of my ears and started pulling on it. That really hurt. I don't know what happened. I just saw red and-"

He softly hushed her. "It's alright, lass. It's all right. Given the grief he's sent yer way through the years, no one would begrudge ye a bit o' payback to be sure, to be sure." He held up the harpoon. "This is _Vinterånde_. She belonged to a fellow by the name of Wolfgang Svart. He led me old team and was a Faunus mage, much like yerself. I've been lookin' after her since he died and been lookin' for someone who'd treat her right." He took another drink and returned his attention to her. By the way he kept squinting, he seemed to be having trouble focusing through the alcohol. "After I saw ye today, I came to a decision. Ye've proven yerself stronger than anyone has any right to be. Ye stumbled for a bit there, just as I popped up, but that's to be expected. The point is ye didn't give up. Ye didn't go home cryin'. Ye got back up and came for more. I can respect that, bunny. In Vacuo, there's not much out there. Ye've got to be tough or ye ain't gonna survive. Between the Grimm and the elements, life ain't kind. The moment I saw ye, I said to meself, I said 'Eagon, that's a tough bunny. She looks tough but she's been through the mill, she has. She needs a bit o' help from us.' So I pushed ye, bunny. I pushed ye to become tougher the only way I know how." He took another drink.

"I appreciate that, Eagon." She smiled at his drunken, semi-coherent rambling. He really was gone.

"When I saw ye give that Cardin fucker what for, I knew ye were back up. So, I wanna give ye this." He held out _Vinterånde._ "She's a mage's weapon and she'll serve ye well. I've searched high and low. _High_ and _low._ To find her a new master."

"Eagon, you're getting a bit loud. It's very late and you don't want to wake Coco. She's irritable when she doesn't get enough sleep."

" _Sorry, Coco_." He rasped in an exaggerated whisper. "I didn't mean to wake ye."

"You haven't woken her yet but you will if you keep this up."

"Aye. Sorry." He gestured again to the weapon. "Take it, lass. She's yours now."

Velvet reverently took the weapon, feeling the smooth shaft and the weight in her hands. Her eyes took in every detail, from the rough rope that ran along the shaft, to the wood darkened with age and use, to the heavy metal head, glinting with a fresh edge. "I can't."

"Pardon?"

She offered the weapon back to Eagon. "She's beautiful and I'm honored. Really, I am. But she's not mine to take nor yours to give. She doesn't belong tucked away in a bag or back on the battlefield where she could be broken and ruined. She belongs in a place of honor where everyone can appreciate her like your friend did."

He took the weapon back and, after giving it a long look, he set it on the desk. "When yer right, yer right. Now I just need a place for her."

"You'll have it one day. If what I believe about you is true, Eagon, nothing will stop you."

"Aye, Velvet. I just dare ye to try and stop me."

"I wouldn't want to." She replied with a giggle.

"Don't undersell yerself, lass. I meant it when I said ye were tougher than ye've any right to be. One day, Velvet, yer gonna be a great Huntress. I know."

She stood. "This future great Huntress is going back to bed. You should think about doing the same. It's late and we have class in the morning."

He pushed himself upright, wavered for a moment, and sat back down with a heavy thump.

"Do you need some help?"

"Nah. S'alright. I just needa piss is all." He pushed himself back up and stumbled to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. The moment the door shut, she heard a second heavy thump shortly followed by loud snoring.

"I guess you're sleeping in there tonight. I certainly can't carry you to bed." Velvet mumbled to herself as she slipped back under the covers and closed her eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

Beacon kept smithing facilities on site and a safe distance from the school itself for students who wished to repair or augment their weapons. After the half day of classes on Saturday, Eagon and Kennon wandered over there to see what could be done about _Cernunnos_. While he had continuously refused Eagon's offers of assistance, Kennon was glad to have his friend along, if only for the company.

Since he had awoken, Kennon had spent almost every day at Beacon. When he wasn't making a nuisance of himself, chasing students of the feminine persuasion, or loitering in the library, he would sit in on classes. Even though he wasn't enrolled with the school, he still tried to keep up with his academics. The professors didn't seem to mind his presence, if they even noticed at all.

Despite several phone calls to his father, the Colonel had yet to come to Vale or even contact his son. This didn't surprise Kennon, who was used to limited contact with his father. Even when the two were in the same room, they rarely acknowledged one another. Eagon theorized that this was due more to the Colonel's lack of knowledge on how to be a proper father. Kennon had often lamented how his father seemed to treat him more like a subordinate than a son and had left his rearing to the house staff. There had been a parade of nurses, nannies, and tutors up until Kennon had begun school. The Colonel himself often rose early for his duties and didn't return until well past nightfall. Eagon often asked Kennon what had become of his mother but those questions were often met with pained looks and silence.

Kennon scrubbed at the rusty blade of _Cernunnos_ with a handful of steel wool, "I remember when I first forged her back in combat school. It took three days to get the steel the way I wanted it."

"Did ye now?" Eagon replied, running a stiff-bristled brush along the inside of _Blackthorn_ 's barrel. "Figured steel was steel."

"You would figure steel was steel, farmboy. Steel for weapons is different than steel for farm equipment. Weapon steel needs to have a spring to it. It needs to bend and flex a bit. Rigid steel would shatter if I took it into combat. It's got to be soft enough for the engraving but hard enough that the blade won't chip easily." He moved to a workbench, laid _Cernunnos_ across it, and picked up an engraving pen. "There should be a vial of Freeze in my bag. Grab it for me, will you?"

As Kennon set to work laying the runes, Eagon began to dig through the leather satchel. "Sure it was in the bag?"

"Ought to be in a vial case between the Burn and Gravity Dust."

"Try again, mate."

Kennon looked up from his work to find Eagon holding the velvet-lined vial case with an empty slot between the Burn and Gravity Dust vials. "Right. Ran out just before we left for the Vytal festival. Figured I'd pick up some more when we got here."

Eagon closed the case and handed the bag to his friend. "Best go get some then."

Kennon followed Eagon as they cut across the school's courtyard, taking a turn down a series of breezeways that was a shortcut to the airship docks.

"Got yer Lien?"

"I've got my card."

"Dad's still payin' yer bills, eh?"

"I haven't used it much since I woke up. Only for my room at the inn. I figure I'm nowhere near my monthly limit yet."

Eagon paused as a grunt and the sounds of a struggle reached his ears. "Ye hear that, mate?"

"Sounds like a fight. Maybe we shouldn't get involved."

A woman's cry of pain sounded down the archways.

"Yeah, scratch that. A lass needs help." Eagon took off running with Kennon in pursuit as fast as his limp would allow. Just ahead, there was a cutaway where students often congregated when skipping class. It was out of view of the school's cameras and they usually went unnoticed.

Rounding a corner into the cutaway, Eagon spotted a familiar figure on his knees as well as a pair of legs belonging to a female student. Whoever Cardin was holding down struggled to dislodge his bulk.

"This will teach you your fucking place, bitch. Nobody makes fools of team CRDL."

"You son of a bitch." Eagon hissed. He charged forward and seized Winchester's wrist as the other student drew back to deliver another blow. "I know yer a massive gobshite, Winchester, but I had just enough respect for ye to assume ye were better than a rapist." He looked over Winchester's victim and, while the arms held defensively concealed her face, the bright red hair was a dead giveaway. "You son of a whore! Yer gonna get it now!"

The steel toe of Eagon's boot caught Winchester's chin with a meaty pop, knocking the larger man away. Years of hard farm labor combined with rage to lend superhuman strength to Eagon's body as he lifted Winchester and slammed him back down to the stone. As soon as she was free, Pyrrha scuttled as far from the warring pair as she could, backing into a corner and instinctively curling into a ball.

I went easy on ye!" Eagon growled as he drove fist after massive fist into Winchester's face. "I figured one or two lessons would teach ye manners! Kid gloves are off now, son. Daddy's belt's comin'!"

"What the bloody hell is goin' on here?" Kennon panted as he finally caught up.

Eagon paused in beating Winchester long enough to direct his friend's attention to Pyrrha. "Check her!"

He saw the look of righteous fury in Eagon's eyes and Kennon grabbed his friend. "No, mate. I'm not leaving until you let him go. You'll beat him to death at this rate."

"Too bloody right I will!" Eagon roared, balling up a fist and preparing to strike Winchester again. He began to swing when a fist suddenly filled his vision. The impact knocked him back and sent him sprawling on the stone walkway.

"Enough, damn it! He's had enough!" Kennon bellowed. "If ye kill him, ye'll regret it for the rest of yer life. _She_ needs help now. The staff will see to this one."

Eagon shook his head, returning to his senses. The blow had robbed him of the fury that had made his vision go red and brought Pyrrha back to memory. He turned and carefully approached the woman, who trembled as she watched the scene unfold from behind arms.

He spoke softly. "Easy, lass. It's alright. I'm not gonna hurt ye." He crouched down so as not to appear so large. It sometimes helped calm frightened animals back on the farm. The sight of one already-bruised eye and the slow streams of blood from her nose and lips set his own blood to boiling again. With some effort, he worked to calm himself. It wouldn't do to further traumatize this poor woman. "I just want to help ye, Pyrrha. Can I help ye?" He extended a hand towards her.

Slowly, she began to lower her arms, wide eyes darting about for any sign of further attack. Eagon patiently held his pose and maintained eye contact. All of this, his father had taught him, was crucial when dealing with any other living creature when it was afraid. Any sudden movement could undo all of that work or, worse, set off a fight response. Of course, the context had been in regards to a spooked calf but he reasoned the same rules applied with people.

Still tense and moving hesitantly, she began to unfold and reach for his hand.

"Can ye walk?" She nodded and he carefully pulled her to her feet. "Lean on me now. Let's get ye up to yer dorm and get ye cleaned up. Afterward, what say we go and see Professor Ozpin, yeah?"

She suddenly shifted closer to him, maneuvering herself behind him. He looked up to see Kennon quickly approaching. "She alright?"

"I don't think so, mate." Eagon responded. "Go and get Professor Goodwitch. She'll want to know what happened here. Tell her she can find us either at JNPR's dorm or Ozpin's office."

"Aye. Sure thing." He turned and limped away, turning toward the main administration building.

"Alright, Pyrrha. Let's get ye back with yer teammates." He looked up and spotted Winchester, kneeling on the stone and spitting up blood. He made to guide Pyrrha in another direction but the woman suddenly broke away. With a scream, she charged the man and began to beat and kick at him, screaming obscenities and vulgar threats about his likely heritage and quite possible future.

It took some effort to pull her away from Winchester but as soon as Eagon turned her away from her attacker, she calmed and slumped against him, visibly exhausted from the ordeal.

"Ye'll be alright, Pyrrha. Just ye wait and see. Soon as we get ye cleaned up and have our chat with Ozpin, ye'll be right as rain."

x-x

It was the blonde boy, Jaune, that answered Eagon's knock and opened the door. He took one look at Pyrrha and his expression darkened. "What happened?"

"'Fraid our friend Cardin's been at it again." Eagon replied, pushing past Jaune and leading Pyrrha inside.

A ginger-haired girl was talking with a young man with a bright pink streak through his long dark hair. Both turned as Eagon entered.

"What the hell?" The girl gasped, leaping to her feet.

"Pyrrha, lass, why don't ye get cleaned up and change yer clothes while I have a chat with yer teammates? We'll go and see Ozpin as soon as yer ready.

"Nora, go with her."

With a final suspicious glance at Eagon, the ginger girl followed Pyrrha into the room's attached bathroom. Jaune approached him with the other one lingering just behind.

"Either you didn't attack her or you're incredibly stupid." Jaune concluded. "You mentioned Cardin was at it again. What 'it' are we referring to?"

"What other its would Cardin be up to?" Eagon replied. "I found him attackin' Pyrrha in a breezeway just off the courtyard in broad daylight, bold as brass. He was rantin' somethin' about her makin' fools of his team while workin' to beat the shite outta her. I stepped in."

The dark-haired one turned his attention to his leader. Jaune's eyes had suddenly widened before narrowing, pupils contracting to dots. "I'll kill him."

"Don't bother, mate. Took care of that for ye as well. Our friend Cardin'll need to take his meals through a straw for a while."

"Did he…?" Jaune couldn't bring himself to finish the question. Pyrrha was about the same age as his next youngest sister. His traitorous mind drew the parallels.

"I don't think so, Jaune, though it certainly looked like it would have been that way if I hadn't stepped in."

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks. No, really. Thanks isn't enough but it's the best I can do."

"Don't mention it, mate. Buy me a beer someday and we'll call it even."

"A beer hardly seems like proper repayment for saving our friend." The dark-haired one observed.

Eagon shrugged. "That's how we settled debts like this back home. Can't see any reason to change, really."

There was a knock at the door. "Ren, see who that is, will you?" Jaune asked before returning his attention to Eagon. "Where do we go from here?"

"That depends on your Professor Ozpin, doesn't it? Can't imagine he'd stand for anything like this. Probably pitch Winchester out on his ear."

"And why would we do that Mister Sullivan?"

Both he and Jaune turned to find Goodwitch standing in the doorway with Kennon lingering just behind.

"Thanks, Kennon. Why don't ye pop down to the Dust shop and get what ye need? I'll be back with ye as soon as I'm done here."

"Actually, Mister Cobalt needs to come with us." Goodwitch stated. "And you didn't answer my question."

"Well, Professor. I found Winchester tryin' to assault Pyrrha Nikos in a manner that would reflect badly on this school."

"And what manner is that?"

"Sexual, Professor. In other words, I'm pretty certain he was tryin' to rape Pyrrha. I know ye warned me to keep me distance but I can't just stand by and let somethin' like that happen, I hope ye understand."

Goodwitch's eyes narrowed. "This is a very serious accusation, Mister Sullivan."

"I should hope so, Professor Goodwitch."

"Where is Miss Nikos now?"

"She's in the bathroom cleaning herself up. Nora's with her." Jaune informed her.

Goodwitch strode to the back of the room and rapped on the door. "Miss Nikos? This is Professor Goodwitch. Would you come out please?"

It took a moment but Pyrrha finally emerged, fastening the final two buttons on a fresh blouse. "Yes, Professor?"

Goodwitch gently took Pyrrha's chin in her hand and turned the girl's head, trying to get a good look at her face, which was already beginning to swell and darken with vivid bruises. "Who did this to you?"

"Cardin Winchester."

"And Mister Sullivan stopped Mister Winchester?"

"Yes, Professor. That's correct."

Goodwitch straightened and glanced at the students surrounding her. Eagon caught an expression of anger with just a hint of fear. "Miss Nikos. Mister Sullivan. Mister Cobalt. I need you to come with me promptly. The rest of you will remain here in case you are needed. Do not leave this room unless you are escorted by myself or another Professor, is that understood?"

After a chorus of affirmatives, the group departed. Goodwitch kept up a quick pace as they marched for the elevators. Pyrrha kept her eyes to the floor while Eagon kept an eye on her. The group was silent the entire way. With the level of stress they were all under, silence was likely the best way to avoid an explosion of tempers but Eagon's will was sorely tested when he caught Kennon taking in the view of Goodwitch's posterior. However, laughing at such a thing would lead to awkward questions and, given the circumstances, he had enough sense to not laugh. Kennon, however, would catch grief for it later.

Once in the elevator, they rode up several floors, maintaining their unspoken agreement of silence. Eagon always harbored a bit of fear about elevators and couldn't help but imagine the cables suddenly snapping and sending them all plummeting to their dooms. He knew how unlikely this was but his imagination ran off all the same.

The doors opened again into a high-ceilinged room that was mostly empty. Huge windows looked out over the school and the city. Above their heads, giant gears of indeterminant purpose rotated on massive axis and, at a large desk, sat the Headmaster of Beacon Academy. He looked up from his paperwork as the group approached.

"Excuse the interruption, Professor Ozpin, but we've had a rather severe situation." Professor Goodwitch took a deep breath before continuing. "It seems one of our students, Cardin Winchester, attempted to sexually assault Miss Pyrrha Nikos."

"It seems, Glynda?"

"That is the accusation Miss Nikos and Mister Sullivan is levelling, yes."

Ozpin bent over his keyboard. "Where did this take place?"

"In the Northeast breezeway, just a short ways back from the courtyard." Pyrrha answered promptly.

Ozpin typed something into his computer and shot a pointed look at Goodwitch, who hurried to join him. They watched silently for a moment until Goodwitch gasped, looking absolutely horrified.

Ozpin's face was a carefully-neutral mask as he turned to Goodwitch. "Kindly escort Miss Nikos to the infirmary and have the nurses there look after her. See to it that she gets everything she might need."

Goodwitch nodded, "Of course, sir." She hurried back around to Pyrrha and led her back to the elevator, disappearing as the lift descended back down to the school. Ozpin, meanwhile, flipped a switch on his desk. "Professor Port, I need you to find Cardin Winchester and bring him to my office promptly." With a heavy sigh, Ozpin sat back and took a sip of his coffee. "Mister Sullivan, please explain what happened. Leave out no detail."

And so Eagon did with occasional help from Kennon. Together, they told Ozpin about about the repairs to Kennon's weapon, which required a trip to purchase Freeze and how they stumbled upon Pyrrha's assault.

"I'd say it's a very fortunate thing Mister Cobalt had neglected to refill his supply of Freeze before coming to Vale." Ozpin concluded.

Kennon raised his hand. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I don't recall-" He was interrupted by the elevator doors opening and the arrival of Professor Port with his weapon in one hand and a struggling Cardin Winchester in the other. Eagon was quite pleased to see the state Winchester was in. A dried trickle of blood ran from one ear and one eye was swollen shut.

"Mister Winchester, do you know why you are here?" Ozpin began.

"Nah. Port didn't share that with me."

"You've been accused of attempting to sexually assault another student."

"What? By who? That's bull! I never touched nobody!"

Ozpin grunted and pressed a button on his desk. Behind him, the center window turned opaque and footage from a security camera began to play. They watched as an unsuspecting Pyrrha strode up the breezeway. As soon as she passed the cutaway, Winchester stepped out and delivered a heavy blow to the back of her head, knocking her to the ground. A swift kick to the side of the head stunned her further. Ozpin paused the video.

"My word." Port gasped.

"You're telling me that this isn't you attacking Miss Nikos, Mister Winchester?"

Winchester had paled considerably and was gaping like a landed fish. Ozpin began a second video, this one from a camera at a different angle. They watched again as Pyrrha came up the breezeway and, again, as Winchester, face shown quite clearly, ambushed her and dragged her back out of sight. A few moments later Eagon saw himself race up the corridor and disappear into the cutaway. Ozpin turned back to Winchester, who could only stare at the floor.

"Professor Port, would you kindly escort Mister Winchester to the courtyard, summon the authorities, and wait with him until they arrive?"

"It would be my pleasure, sir." Port growled, his face turning crimson with barely restrained anger. He grabbed Winchester by the arm and began to drag him away. "Come, boy!"

"Mister Winchester, you may consider this your notice of expulsion from Beacon Academy. We will not tolerate such heinous crimes within our walls. I will be notifying your parents of this presently."

Winchester could only stutter out excuses and objections as he was led away.

"Mister Cobalt. Mister Sullivan. While I cannot condone your methods, I thank you all the same for your timely intervention. I have no doubt that fine young men such as yourselves will make excellent and honorable Huntsmen."

Eagon couldn't help but blush slightly at the praise. "Thank you, sir."

"Now, Mister Cobalt. I must ask that you find something else to occupy your time and attention. I have a private matter to discuss with your friend here."

Kennon turned to Eagon, who simply nudged him. "G'wan, mate, and get yer Dust. I'll be back with ye as soon as I can."

They waited until Kennon had left. As soon as the elevator doors closed, Ozpin sat again and let out a weary sigh. "I had high hopes for Mister Winchester. He graduated top of his class at Signal and it was my design to turn him into a honorable Huntsman."

"Can't win them all, sir." Eagon responded.

"No. No, we certainly can't. Unfortunately, I now have a team without a leader and, since the remaining members of CRDL are innocent, I can't simply expel them along with their leader."

"Ye wouldn't find me complainin', sir, but yer right. It'll be unfair to them."

Ozpin sat in thought for a moment. "Tell me, Mister Sullivan, has Mister Cobalt expressed any interest in enrolling at Beacon Academy?"

x-x

The owner looked up as a bell rang and Kennon entered. He looked around at the neat rows of ground Dust and the shelves of Dust crystals in locked glass cabinets. "Good afternoon, sir." He greeted. "Can I help you?"

"I certainly hope so." Kennon replied. "I find myself in need of a couple of vials of Freeze. Do you have any in stock?"

"Just received some this morning as a matter of fact." The owner turned around and selected two vials of the bright blue Dust. "Will that be all for you?"

"'Tis, thanks." Kennon pulled his card from his wallet. "How much?"

"Six hundred Lien, please."

He frowned. "Bit much, don't you think?"

"I do apologize for the prices, sir. Unfortunately, recent robberies of port shipments and local shops have driven the supply prices up and have forced me to do the same, you understand."

"Of course." Kennon swiped his card through the reader. After a moment, the computer bleated.

DECLINED, the screen read. Behind him, the bell rang as another customer entered.

"I'm sorry, sir. Sometimes the system acts up. If you wouldn't mind trying again…"

Kennon did and, again, the system bleated and the same message popped up. Kennon stared at the card. "There's no way I've blown through my allowance already." Somebody tapped him on the shoulder. "Yeah, just a second, mate."

"I'm sorry, sir, but do you have another form of payment?"

"I have a few Lien on me but not enough to cover this." Kennon felt another tap on his shoulder again. "Yeah, I said wait a minute while I get this sorted. Let's give it one more go. Third time's the charm, right?"

"If you wish."

A third try produced the same results. Kennon glared at his card, irritation growing within him. For a third time, his shoulder was tapped. He spun to the other customer, preparing to take out his frustrations. Behind him stood a tall man in an impeccable Atlesian Military uniform. Crisp creases lined the sleeves of his jacket and the legs of his pants. A full beard and auburn hair, both graying with age, matched Kennon's perfectly. The man's build was thin and muscular and he was in better shape than many men half his age. A permanent frown seemed to be stamped onto the man's face, giving him the general appearance of an annoyed Bulldog. So close was this resemblance that many of his coworkers and subordinates had taken to calling him that. Behind his back, of course. To do so to his face would be committing career suicide.

Kennon's eyes narrowed. He wasn't happy to see this individual and was less happy about what his presence implied. "Hello, Father. I take it you got my messages?"


	10. Chapter 10

"So here you are."

Kennon crossed his arms over his chest and met his father's gaze levelly. "Aye."

The Colonel's mouth twitched with displeasure. "I receive a call from the hospital telling me my son has vanished."

"And it took you three days to get down here."

"Then I see charges for a room at the…" The Colonel fished a folded paper from his pocket and opened it. "...The Harbour Inn."

"And you never bothered to call."

"I then spend an hour scouring the streets for you. It was only when I stopped by Beacon that I found out you had been seen heading this way not ten minutes ago. You know the dangers of wandering about in your condition and answering to the name of 'Cobalt'."

"Yes. Good thing you caught up with me. I have to say you're the very picture of paternal worry and concern."

The Colonel's chest heaved a heavy sigh, his thin patience was plain in his posture. "At any rate, I'm here now. You're clearly well enough to travel. We'll be returning to Atlas as soon as you've collected your things." He turned away and began to make for the door. "Come now, boy. There's much to do and I want it done as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, about that." Kennon held his ground. "I've been thinking about this whole fiasco. I'm in the hospital, unlikely to ever wake up, and you were nowhere in sight. I'm wandering the streets of a kingdom I've never been to and I can't get a hold of you. Luckily Eagon found me before I could get into any real trouble."

"'Eagon'? The Sullivan boy? From Vacuo?"

"The same."

"I'll have my secretary send him a letter of thanks."

"Is that what I'm worth? A letter penned not by you but by your secretary?"

"We are _not_ having this conversation again." The Colonel replied, his voice taking a sharp edge.

"Why not? You still don't seem to understand. _I_ am your _son_ , yet you can't seem to realize that. I would think that you would show a bit more concern for my well-being and a bit more gratitude than some photocopied letter that you might add a personal signature to."

"If you are my son then act the part and speak to me with a sense of propriety." The Colonel growled.

"And if you were my father, you would have been at my bedside, rather than wandering down here whenever you had a free moment and the desire to do so. You would have been there to guide me through my childhood, as a proper father should, rather than leave my raising to the hired help."

"I have an international industrial conglomerate to oversee and a military to supply. I do apologize if that's why I missed a few of your birthday parties."

"A few or all of them? As a matter of fact, looking back I notice you're conspicuously absent from most of my life."

"And yet you have no problem spending my money."

"Ah. Yes. That does take some of the edge from my point, doesn't it?" Kennon held the card out. "Take it. I'll make my own way."

"You _will_ be returning with me to Atlas."

Kennon's scroll buzzed from his hip. Reading the brief message, he nodded to himself. "I won't, actually. Beacon's headmaster wishes to speak with me." He tucked the scroll away and held out the card. "It would be rude to keep him waiting."

"He'll have to be disappointed then."

"Very well then. Let me put this in terms even you would understand." Kennon cast the card to the floor. "Consider me AWOL. The only way you'll get me back to Atlas is in chains."

"Know this. If you walk out that door, you will no longer be welcome in my house."

Kennon paused long enough to cast a glance over his shoulder. "I didn't need you then. I don't need you now."

And with that he was free.

x-x

Eagon pushed the door to CFVE's dorm shut behind him and barely made it to his bed before he collapsed.

Velvet looked up from her book. "Rough day?"

"Aye. Ye could say that."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really but you'll be happy to know that Cardin Winchester's been expelled and probably arrested. Won't have to worry about him anymore."

Velvet perked up. "Really?"

"Aye."

"That's...Actually, I don't really know what to say about that."

"Figured ye'd be doin' a jig."

"So did I, but Cardin's been thrown out of one of the most prestigious schools in the four kingdoms. The chances of him doing anything more than emptying rubbish bins are slim to none. What finally got the school to take action?"

"He raped another student."

She gasped. "You're kidding."

"Wish I was."

"Is it bad?"

He rolled over and sat up. "Dunno. All I can say for sure is that he roughed her up pretty good. What he's done probably fucked up her mind pretty good."

"Who...who is she?"

"Pretty sure that's none of yer business, bunny. Poor lass probably wants her privacy for the time bein'. Let's do our best to keep this whole business between us. Mum's the word, yeah?"

Velvet nodded. "Sure thing." She laid back and stared at the ceiling. "I knew he was a raging prick but I didn't think he would go that far."

"Aye." Eagon rubbed his palms together. "Still, he's gone. Shame it had to happen like this but it's over and done with."

"I wouldn't speak so soon. There's still a trial if he gets charged. You might have to testify about what you witnessed."

"Lass, I come from a clan of folks more infamous than famous. This won't be the first time I've seen the inside of a Hall of Justice and it likely won't be the last. Still, I pity poor Pyrrha. She's got a long road ahead of her."

"Yeah." Velvet agreed. She paused. "Wait, did you just say 'Pyrrha'? Would that be Pyrrha Nikos?"

"Er. Damn. Alright, this doesn't leave this room but, yeah. It was Pyrrha Nikos that Cardin was after."

Velvet stood. "What are we waiting for? We need to go see if she's okay. If she needs anything." With those words, she zipped out the door and was gone.

"Didn't I just say that didn't leave the room." He called after her.

x-x

Again, Jaune had answered Eagon's knock. The man looked exhausted. It had been a tiring day for them all. "Hey. Er… Eagon wasn't it? And you're Velvet?"

"Aye. How're ye, mate?"

"I'll be honest, I've been better. C'mon in. Pyrrha's out of the infirmary. I'm sure she'll want to thank you herself."

"How's she doin'?"

"She's alright. Pretty sore and shaken up but she's tough. She'll make it through."

Pyrrha was sitting on the foot of her bed, deep in thought. Eagon could see that the bruises on her face had already begun to heal and that many of the cuts and abrasions left open to the air had begun to seal themselves. The moment she spotted him, she stood from her bed and drew him into a tight embrace. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, lass. Yer not badly hurt?"

She broke the embrace and shook her head. "A few bruises and cuts. A minor concussion that's knocked me a little loopy but nothing worse than that. I just… Maybe you're right. Maybe the only language some people speak is violence."

"Nah. I said that on account of me mood. 'Tain't much of an excuse but it's the best I've got. Keep in mind that fightin's the last resort and usually means more trouble than it's worth."

"It looks like we were at the last resort. Cardin is a creep and a bully. I pray this will get him expelled."

"Y'know, I've got to look into that prayer thing. Seems they do come true."

Pyrrha eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"Winchester's been put out on his ear. Can't say it's the last ye'll see of him. There's a solid chance ye'll need to be at his trial."

"Trial? For a schoolyard scuffle?"

"That was a wee bit more than a scuffle, lass. He tried to rape ye, remember?"

Her jaw fell. "What? N-no! He...I can't say that he intended to let me walk out of there under my own power but his hands...He never touched me there." She began to fidget and shift her weight. "This is awful. He was a terrible person but I'd never...I wouldn't _dare_ falsify charges! Oh please tell me I didn't say something silly."

"Ye didn't say much at all, really. I think that's more the fault of that bump on yer noggin' but it certainly looked like he was tryin' to have his way with ye."

"No! No, that's all wrong." She began to pant and grow more frantic. "I need to go see Professor Ozpin right away and…"

Her eyes rolled back into her head and she began to topple forward. Jaune lunged, knocking Eagon aside and catching her in his arms. "Pyrrha, are you alright?"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Jaune? I...Oh!" She groaned as she reached up to massage her temples. "Oh, my head."

Gently, he helped her back into bed. "Here, you lay down and rest a bit. This was a little too much excitement and you're still recovering. We can go speak with Ozpin when you're better."

"I'll tell him meself." Eagon volunteered.

Despite her obvious pain, Pyrrha managed to smile. "Thank you, Eagon. I really appreciate it."

"Think nothing of it, lass. I'm always happy to help where I can and even where I can't. Especially where I can't, come to think of it. Then, I have a legitimate excuse for my laziness."

That earned a weak giggle out of her.

He reached down and patted her shoulder. "Have a sleep now. Ye need it after all this excitement."

As they took their leave, Velvet leaned close and spoke softly. "Are you going to tell Ozpin?"

"Aye but I see no reason to rush. Tomorrow is soon enough."

x-x

Velvet groaned as she was nudged awake. The faintest hints of blue implied the early hour while the angry red digits of her alarm clock confirmed it. She pushed herself up, yawning and rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Huh?"

"C'mon, lass. Up with ye."

"Eagon? What's going on?" She yawned a second time. "It's too early."

"C'mon now. I've got a surprise for ye."

She pulled the covers back over her head and settled in. "It can wait." She mumbled, already on her way back to dreamland. Her eyes snapped open as her warm blankets were snatched away.

"C'mon now, bunny. Get dressed or you'll miss it."

And she was having such a nice dream too.

Only half awake, she managed to pull on something of an outfit, though Coco would probably have had a fit if she had seen one of her teammates dress themselves in such a manner. She just managed to pull a shirt over her head as she was half-dragged out the door. "My shoes."

"Don't worry. We ain't goin' far. Ye won't need 'em."

"What's wrong with you? I'm dragged out of my warm bed and kidnapped by a mad Vacuoian on the premise of a 'Surprise'. Are you drunk again?"

"Bein' drunk again would imply sobriety at some point."

"Damn it, Eagon, it's too early for your games. What's this all about?"

"You'll see."

A voice echoed from just down the hall. "Jaune, it's too early for this."

"You'll love it. Just a little further."

"Yer movin' too slow, bunny."

"Sorry if I'm not ready to race yet. I haven't had my...Hey! Put me down!"

Eagon paused long enough to grab both of Velvet's wrists in his own calloused hands and haul her up onto his back before jogging to catch up with Jaune and Pyrrha. She took one look at the red-haired woman, still barefoot and in her nightgown, and made a guess. "Kidnapped as well, yeah?"

"At least yours allowed you the courtesy of dressing first." Pyrrha grumbled, glaring daggers at the back of Jaune's head. "Did you know your shirt's on backwards?"

"Figures." Velvet grumbled, taking every opportunity to drive a knee into where she suspected Eagon's kidneys lay.

"Not much further now, lassies." Eagon encouraged as the two men quickened their stride.

"I hope we didn't miss them."

"Kennon said he'd wait but only for a moment."

"This had better be worth it or I'm never speaking to you again, Jaune Arc." Pyrrha growled to gritted teeth.

"You're going to absolutely love this, I promise."

"The only thing I'd love is to be back in bed."

"This'll be better."

"Chocolate-covered roses?"

"Better."

Pyrrha thought for a moment. "You didn't get me a pony, did you?"

"I like ponies." Velvet mumbled, already dozing against Eagon's back.

"Oh, where would I keep it? They're so expensive. I don't even know how to ride."

"It's not a pony. It's better."

"What could be better than a pony?"

"Two ponies?" Velvet mumbled. She shook her head. "What's that noise?"

"What noise?" Eagon asked, setting her down in the main foyer of the dorm.

"I don't know. It sounds like weasels being put through a wringer. Oh, stars above, it's awful!" She reached up and pulled both of her ears down over her head.

"You could have let me put my slippers on, at least. This floor is so cold." Pyrrha grumbled.

"You'll happily run head-long into a pack of rampaging Grimm but you complain about a chilly floor?"

"I noticed you're not standing on it in your bare feet. If I get pneumonia, I'm blaming you."

Eagon snickered. "You two sound just like an old married couple."

"Get real!" Jaune retorted. Pyrrha only turned away, not quite managing to hide the blush creeping along her cheeks. A blush Eagon noticed straightaway.

"How are you not hearing that noise?"

Pyrrha suddenly straightened. "Actually, I hear it too."

"I don't hear nothin'." Eagon replied. "Then again, maybe I'm not the best one to ask what with me ears bein' shot."

It was only a few moments, as the terrible sound grew in volume, before the source came into view. Kennon, bagpipes tucked under his arm, led the remaining members of team CRDL in lockstep march, warbling and honking away on his instrument. Eagon chuckled. His friend, despite his love of the bagpipes, was about as tone-deaf as they came.

Their posture rigid, their outfits uniform, and their appearance impeccable, Dove Bronzewing, Skyy Lark, and Russel Thrush cast looks at their new leader that ranged from sullen to downright mutinous. Pyrrha and Velvet's jaws fell as they watched the procession come at them at the regulation one hundred and twenty paces per minute.

Kennon mercifully stopped playing his pipes long enough to bark a halt order and the marching team stopped directly before them. Eagon was surprised to see that several other students had joined their group, drawn by the commotion in the hall.

"Right _Face_!"

As one, KRDL turned on their heels to face the assembled students.

"Apologies for the early hour." Kennon boomed. "I am Kennon Cobalt and I am the leader of team KRDL. It is my understanding that the previous leader, Cardin Winchester, allowed his team to behave in a manner unfitting of a Huntsman. This behavior ends today! It is my goal to make team KRDL the pride of Beacon Academy, rather than the assembled ruffians they once were. Will Pyrrha Nikos step forward, please?"

It took only a bit of prodding from Jaune and Eagon to move the woman, who hesitantly stepped out before the crowd. With his back ramrod straight and his stride parade-ground perfect, Kennon strode before her, coming to a halt less than half a pace away.

"Miss Nikos, you have my personal apologies for the disgusting behavior of this team as well as my word as a Cobalt that such behavior shall be neither repeated nor tolerated." He whipped out his scroll and tapped out a few keys. "I have sent my contact information to you. Should you find any of my teammates acting in a disreputable manner, please contact me directly and they shall be dealt with." Kennon raised his fist and snapped off a perfect salute.

Somewhat timidly, Pyrrha mimicked his gesture. "Er...okay?"

"Thank you for your time." Kennon stepped back a pace. "Will Jaune Arc step forward please?"

Jaune nearly skipped as he left the crowd with a gleeful grin on his face.

"Mister Arc, you have my personal apologies for the behavior of this team. Their former leader encouraged and allowed such behavior. I will not. Should they act in any manner that would be considered less than honorable, please contact me and they shall be punished."

Jaune snapped off his own picture-perfect salute, much to the surprise of all who witnessed it. "Aye, sir!"

"Thank you for your time. Will Velvet Scarlatina step forward please?"

"Your turn, bunny." Eagon nudged her. When she didn't move, he gave her a gentle shove. "G'wan then."

Velvet all but crept to the head of the assembled group, very conscious of all of the eyes on her.

"Miss Scarlatina, you especially have my deepest apologies for the behavior of my team. Know that there is no place for racism in team KRDL and the consequences of such actions are most severe. You have my personal assurance that what you suffered under that cretin's supposed leadership will not be repeated. If my team proves me to be a liar, you are to contact me immediately."

Velvet nodded. "Yes sir."

"Very good. Thank you for your time." Kennon took a step back and addressed the entire assembly. "The same goes for all of you. Team KRDL will be composed of nothing but the most honorable of Huntsmen. Nothing less is acceptable." He spun on his heel and faced his team. "Know this! I have eyes and ears everywhere. If any of you are thinking of returning to your old behavior when my back is turned, I _will_ know of it and I _will_ punish each and every one of you. Starting today, team KRDL begins fresh. Each day will begin with a ten-lap run…"

Dove Bronzewing let out a groan.

"Make that twenty laps around the courtyard. Never interrupt me again. Each of you will perform exemplary in your studies. I have met with each of your professors, informed them of this new regimen, and instructed them to contact me should you fail in any way. I have the approval of both Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch so do not think you will find shelter with them. This is the new way KRDL will conduct itself. Accept it or leave."

Kennon returned to his place at the head of the team and took up his bagpipes once more. "Left _face_!"

On their heels, the team turned to face the dormitory exit.

"Forward _march_!"

The bagpipes began again as KRDL marched out the doors.

"Well, that happened." Velvet voiced.

"What did I tell you, Pyrrha? Better than a pony."

"I certainly look forward to what Kennon can do with KRDL. They're each very powerful Huntsmen. They only lacked the proper direction and unification. Under his leadership, I'm confident they can become greater than the sum of their parts."

"I agree." Coco stated as she and Fox joined the group, already dressed in light athletic attire.

"Goin' for a jog, are ye?"

She glanced at Eagon. "We all are. Kennon invited us to join his team in their daily training. Quite frankly, team CFVE could do with a bit more discipline so I happily accepted. Go get dressed and meet back here in ten minutes. We'll be joining them for the last half of their run."

"Son of a bitch."

"On second thought, maybe we'll tack on another five laps."


End file.
